The Pagan Path

Those who wonder are not lost; they are trying to awaken! 'The Sleeper must awaken!'

Friday, May 31, 2013

God on a Leash ( Spiritual Dyslexia )

Thinking back on all the disasters in recent history, both natural and man-made; what else more readily sends people scurrying like little mice ( or lemmings, maybe? ) into the cold comfort of some church-building or cathedral, offering up prayers full of smoke before a God who may or may not be listening? When our lives, or at least the lives of average Americans, are going along swimmingly, we may darken the doorsteps of said church-building or cathedral once or maybe twice a week, or just on major holidays. Let the wind blow her fury though, knocking down a few houses, taking a few lives, uprooting trees, changing other lives completely, etc. we tend to make a run for the nearest House of God, falling on our knees before the only One who can save us!

Many of today's Christians, those who bow the knee before the idols of convenience and contentment, seem to be more in fear of their government or its associates ( IRS, ACLU, etc ) than they are of their God! In many cases too, they seem to be more concerned with maintaining a good relationship with this false god as well!! 'If we do this or that', they might say, 'the ACLU will come down on us hard with a very costly lawsuit'! On the other hand, an institutional 'church' organization ( corporation ) might cry, 'if we preach on this or that subject, the big bad wolf ( IRS ) might huff and puff and blow our house down'!

If I remember correctly, doesn't Scripture say something like, 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' ( Romans 8:31 ), and 'He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world' ( I John 4:4 ) ? I may have opened up a can of worms here, but as my purpose here is not to explore the under- ( or is that 'over-' ) lying aspects of the eschatological reasons for such idolatry, we may just suffice to say that these 'Christians' serve a different king ( one can almost hear echoes of 'we have no king but Caesar', here )!

Well, since the subject was brought up; 'why do many Christians seem to fear man more than God?'

It's certainly not because men are more worthy or command more respect! It's not because man has done more for the salvation and betterment of mankind! After all, God created man in the first place! Is the reason that many Christians seem to fear the machinations of men more than the providence and beneficience of God, because He does not seem real or close to them? Is it because they think He only dwells with them in Spirit, and has not yet returned to take the reins of His Kingdom on Earth?

When Christians fear to mention God or religion in a political context ( government schools, for instance ). what is that saying about their 'Christianity'? Who are they putting their trust in? Did God not deliver Daniel from the lion's den? Is He not able and willing to deliver His people from the hands of bullies like the IRS or ACLU?

Is our almighty, omnipotent God only at our 'beck and call', or is He an ever-present help in trouble? Is He only there when we need ( or want ) Him, or is He always there, as a Good and Heavenly Father, working all things together for our good?

As we explore these questions, let us first ask them of ourselves, in our own lives. Do WE fear man and what he might do, more than God and what He promised to do? We have all of history to show us how man exerts his might, and throughout this history men of might have risen, yes, but they always fall, never to rise again! As we can read in God's History book, though, He has never failed in His promises, and though He did take fall at the crux of History, He did rise again!

Is it better to put our trust in the ( failing ) strength of man, or in the ( never-failing ) Promises of our Almighty God? May we ever say with Joshua, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord', and Him alone will we Fear!

Charles Haddon Shank

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

'The Communion of the Body'

When Jesus instituted what is now known as the Lord's Supper, why did He use such ordinary elements to symbolize His Body and Blood? Why do Matthew and Mark's accounts both agree so closely as to the order of things, but Luke records that He first took the cup, saying He would only drink it again with them in the Kingdom, before He broke the traditional bread? These, and other questions, Lord willing, will be answered herein!

Life is a sacrament; when I say that, I mean simply that all of life, everything that we say or do is to be our worship, to the glory of God, and for His Kingdom. Traditionally; I believe that too many within the Body of Christ, and this includes a great many in the institutional church, have viewed the Church as only their own denomination. These Christians seem to have forgotten a most important fact, that God’s Church, the Body of Christ, is made up of His people, not just one certain uniform denomination! Many Christians, admittedly, whether they acknowledge it in their doctrine or not, live their lives as acknowledging this fact, though it be contrary to their stated doctrine!

When one hears the word 'communion'; we most often think, in 'Christian circles', anyway, of the Communion that they share with others in the Body of Christ, partaking of the wine ( or grape juice ) and bread, whether they do it as a symbolic remembrance of His sacrifice, or whether they believe they are following Jesus' words in John 6:53; 'unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you'. I remember once, when I told a brother that the congregation I was fellow-shipping with  at the time had 'communion' every Sunday; he, knowing that I meant the fellowship meal we enjoyed every Sunday after worship service, protested, 'but Christ isn't there!' Hindsight, as we can all attest to, is 20/20, and I remember thinking later that I should have gently reminded this brother, since the Church is the Body of Christ, and the New Temple of God ( John 14:23-'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him' ); Christ is most definitely there; as He Himself said, 'wherever two or three are gathered in My name, there AM I among them' ( Matthew 18:20 ). Many orthodox Christians, confusing The Lord's Supper with communion, seem to believe that in order to properly celebrate communion, we must follow the same course that our Lord instituted in His last celebration of Passover.


I have often wondered why Luke's account of The Lord's Supper differs from the other synoptic Gospels in that Luke records that Jesus first took the cup and told them to pass it around, to 'divide it among yourselves'. The reason, or at least one reason that Luke records this is that Jesus was following the traditional Jewish Passover Seder. With Luke's focus on the Man Jesus, it is not surprising that he would make a point of showing how Jesus, as a good Jew, followed this practice .  During this celebration, one glass of wine is drunk at the beginning of the Seder, another  before the meal, another after saying the prayer at the end of the meal and yet another ( after they have well drunk ) after singing a Psalm of Praise. To this day, to rightly celebrate The Seder, or Passover, you MUST drink at least four glasses of wine in one sitting!

When the True King of the Jews instituted a new and living way to celebrate Passover, He bypassed, according to Matthew and Mark's accounts, at least two of these libations. Why would He do this? Well, as the non-conformist that Jesus was, not to mention Lord Of the Sabbath, He did this for several reasons, first and foremost being that He was revealing the true Seder, in terms that His disciples would recognize. Jesus, throughout His earthly ministry, had been preparing them for this very moment, telling them that 'I am the bread which came down from heaven' ( John 6:32-41 ). He also told them that He was the Vine, and that unless a man ate His flesh and drank His blood, he had no Life in him.( John 6:53 )

We need not peruse the annals of history very long to see that a lack of true communion will cause a world of pain and suffering. Communion is necessary to our very existence,  and human beings so yearn for it, that they will go to great lengths to get it, whether good or bad! If we cannot get, for whatever reason, true and lasting communion, we will spend our days in a false and temporary communion. Again, we need not look very far to realize this painful fact!

As we read in Paul's sermon to the Church at Corinth, the Corinthians were having trouble recognizing that when they came together, it was not in order to eat the Lord's Supper. The purpose for which they coming together was, more importantly, fellowship, or communion. Quoting Romans 14:17 again, 'the Kingdom of Heaven is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit'.Righteous, peace and joy must be shared in order to become evident!

When we think of 'communication', particularly in a marriage; we most often think of 'talking', and though that is certainly an important and integral part of it, there are many other forms of communication that we often fail to take advantage of. In relation to our 'heavenly spouse'; while it is important that we keep up our personal time with Him, through prayer and meditation, it is almost equally as important to communicate ( commune ) with His Body, the Church, whenever and wherever we might come in contact with them. We read earlier Paul's admonition to the church at Corinth regarding their observance ( some might say 'abuse' ) of the 'Lord's Supper. This admonition was not aimed, so much, at their failing to recognize the spiritual significance ( as orthodoxically viewed ), as at their failure to communicate with His Body, to recognize His Body for what it really was, His people, and to share ( communicate ) the blessings that they were beneficiaries of.


It is important to remember that both the Passover meal and the Lord's Supper were, no more, no less, symbolic remembrances, or memorials. The Truth to which they both pointed, of course, was the Christ! Jesus was, as He said in John 6:35, 'the bread of life',  and His flesh is food indeed and His blood is drink indeed. He is not speaking cannibalistically here, but metaphorically. We do not literally eat anything, but, through communion with His Body, and feasting on His Word, we do partake in the communion of the Body!

Retuning to David's words in Psalm 104:15, we might begin to understand why Jesus would use these elements to symbolize His Body and Blood. These ordinary parts of any meal ( and here, it helps to have at least an elemental understanding of Middle Eastern culture ) should remind us of the fact that our Creator loved His creation so much that He became an ordinary ( though extraordinary ) human being in order to share with us the communion that He had with the Father since before the worlds were formed.

As we share this communion with the Body, we do, by our actions, feast on His Body and Blood. If we do not ( or cannot ) discern this mysteriously glorious fact, we are in danger of missing the blessed life that communion brings.  If we miss this glorious fact, we are in danger of losing the vibrancy of our Life, and becoming useless cogs in the machine.

God made man for communion. When we neglect the Communion of the Body, we need only look at Nature itself to see what happens! Whether it be plant, animal or human being, if it is removed from its element, and from necessary communion, that body dies, and becomes good for nothing but to be trampled on, and blown away by the wind!

We must not forget in all this that the purpose of God will be served and fulfilled! Whether or not we purposefully fulfill His will, His will is done; the Body grows, and the Kingdom is expanding, for His will is done in the earth as in the heavens!

Blessings,
Charles Haddon Shank

Monday, May 27, 2013

On the Verge of Collapse

Ever have one of those days when you feel like crying 'Calgon, take me away!'? It seems to me that days like this are happening more frequently as relationships sour, infrastructures are threatened, and it seems like the world is coming apart at the seams! It's a great time to be a dispensationalist! With the economy threatening to collapse at any moment ( sometime in the very near future ), and society become more and more God-less, it seems that the 'second coming' of Christ can't be far behind!

With the plethora of available information ( thanks to the internet ) out there, both good and bad, horror stories about the coming collapse, both economic and social ( not to mention political ) abound. Some of these stories may seem to be somewhat blown out of proportion, but those 'in the know' are quick to assure their readers that they have not exaggerated in the slightest. And although some of these stories ARE more believable than others, it is pretty clear that some sort of collapse IS inevitable! Things cannot continue on their present course, either politically, socially, or economically. If something does not change, and change for the better, very soon, this collapse WILL come, and it WILL be ugly!

It will also be glorious!

Even if things DO begin to change for the better very soon, one ( who knows ) can see it coming! As far as this country has degraded, and as long as it took to get to where we are, it's not going to happen overnight! As one nation under God, we must grasp this indivisibility, once again, band together in the bond of love, and begin to rebuild America with a greater sense of community, possibly even great than that experienced in it's beginnings. We must realize the dependency of our independent spirit upon our Almighty Creator to an even greater degree than did our forefathers! As a nation, we must be brought to our knees in humble realization that it is only through the blessings of covenant and communion with Him and His people that we can thrive and prosper, much less survive whatever collapse may or may not be coming!

Although our focus, as Americans, is mostly on the good ole U.S. of A., national news shows plenty of strife around the world, much of it financially based. Some long-standing nations have filed for bankruptcy already, and more still are close behind! History is full of examples of what happens to empires and nations that vaunt themselves in the Face of God!

Collapse, to whatever extent, is coming, and the longer we try to stave it off, the worse it will be! Even foreign writers, those who have seen it happen in their own countries and lifetimes, are warning Americans of the coming cataclysm! Collapse must come in order for this nation to realize their dependence on the providence and blessing of the One who told Abraham, 'in you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed'! If America does not realize this, she may be wiped off the map, and cease to exist as we know her. Maybe this is what needs to happen, so that we can rebuild her, from the ground up, as it were, into a nation of priests, one that shines the Light and Blessing of the Covenant to the nations around us.

As Amercanist philosophy and eschatology goes, America has long held the faux position as this New Israel, this Savior Nation to the world. While much the opposite from the truth, this is, in a sense, what she should be, although we know that the Priesthood is based, not in physical, but in spiritual identity.

The history of America is a history of violence! While much of this violence was, in a sense necessary, and carried out within our own borders, for the past century or so, this nation has wasted its efforts ( and resources ) overseas in a vain attempt to prove its independence, and to carry out this messianic mission!

It can be clearly and easily ascertained that this nation and in particular, its indomitable leaders, have not limited their unnecessary use of violence outside their own borders; just read any old American history book, and you will see that the idea of 'might makes right' has been steadily perpetuated in this country since her inception! For instance, just ask any American Indian!

Whatever shall we do, wherever shall we go?!

All is not lost! This is our Father's world, no matter what men may say, and, like it or not, He does seem to respond favorably to well-behaved children. Whether or not this seems to occur mainly through the law of reaping what you sow, it has been proven for time immemorial that this is so!

Whether through a total collapse ( political, economic and social ) or a lesser ( to whatever degree ) one, America as a whole MUST be brought to her knees in humble repentance of her wickedness and failure, and then do an about-face, and start marching to a different tune. She MUST at the very least, stop murdering His precious ( and helpless ) children, though unborn; she MUST realize that familial Communion is necessary to her existence, and instead of perpetuating genocide around the world and in our own country, begin to bolster and protect the brotherhood of man!

This will not happen over-night or without a continuation of violence, though now it may be necessary! The downward slide of this nation and the whole world society has been happening for so long that it will take a long time for it to get back to where it should be!

A 'good' dispensationalist will rejoice at the condition we are in, for he must realize that, as things continue their downward spiral, the 'second coming' of Christ must be knocking at the door. Jesus will swoop down at any moment and deliver us from this mess we have made!

We, however, know ( realize ) that He has not left us orphans; He DID come to us, and He has given into our stewardship this world which He created and called good!

We made this mess; now let's clean it up!

Charles Haddon Shank

Friday, May 17, 2013

A Living Image; a Living Sacrifice

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [ which is ] your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1 

The statement has been made here in previous posts, that God made man ( Adam ) in His own image in order that man might have dominion. This is true enough, but is this primarily what God had in mind when He said 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'? Secondarily, to be sure, after this statement of Purpose, He said 'let them have dominion', but primarily, His Purpose was to form man in His own image, to beget them for Himself, to proliferate His own Seed!

The question, 'why are we here?', in differing forms and to differing extents maybe, has been one of the most prolific questions of the eons! 'Why are we here?', 'why did God make man ( Adam ) in His image, according to His likeness?' When asking questions like this, we might ultimately be led to ask the question, 'what IS the Image of God?' Well, Scripture tells us that 'God is love', so for starters, we may rightly assume, in part anyway, that this is the Image of God in which He made man ( Adam )! Scripture also tells us, in other words, that if we do not have Love, we have nothing, and in fact that we are nothing, and worse than useless.

Man was placed on this earth for one purpose, and one purpose alone; he was made in God's Image, as His only begotten Son, in order that he might spread abroad the love of God which was shown to be a Light in the darkness! When man fails to love as he ought, though God's purpose is yet fulfilled, either through him or another, he fails to shine the Light of Love in the darkness, and so reaps the natural consequences of his failure. The Scriptural admonition of 'whatever a man sows, that he will also reap', contrary to the opinion of some, stands firm! When we fail to love those that we should, we most often receive the same in return. The many wars in the history of mankind bear witness to this. 


Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Ephesians 5:25 

Jesus commanded His disciples to 'love one another; as I have loved you'. If we are His disciples ( followers ) indeed, we will show this by loving one another. Love, true love, as can be seen in Paul's sermon in I Corinthians 13, is a sacrificial love, a love that puts the needs and concerns of the other before one's own ( now, we must be ever cautious here, because we do live in a time when certain people would take undue advantage of this love ). We must be ever careful, even in this, to be sure that our own needs and concerns are being taken care of, for we also read in Scripture that Jesus said, as the second great commandment, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself', and, 'if you do not love your brother ( neighbor ) whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen'. If we do not love ( take care of ) ourselves, how can we love ( take care of) others? If we do not show love for the brethren, how can we truthfully say that we love God?!


Love suffers long [ and ] is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I Corinthians 13:4-7

The apostle Paul, in the passage above, describes in great detail the Image of God in man! Yahweh, in His great love for His people, suffered with their disobedience and idolatry for a long time, infinitely longer than we ever could imagine ( for most of us, after the first instance, if we had been in control, we would have cut them off right then and there ). The Love that the apostle describes above describes perfectly the Love that God shone on us through His Son, Jesus the Christ, and when we love, perfectly so ( for love has been 'perfected'  in us-I John 4:7-17 ), we shine forth the Image of God that was formed in Adam ( man )!

With this Sacrificial Love, then, let us love one another; let us so shine forth this Image of God that all His sentient creation may come to a knowledge and understanding, an acknowledgement and acceptance of their relationship with their Creator! Let us determine within ourselves that we will bear truthfully the Glory of this Image  before all men, that they in turn may learn in joy to bear this Image before others, 'For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea' ( Isaiah 11:9 ). This, in reality has already happened, eschatologically speaking, and is, in actuality happening everyday, as men continue to  spread abroad the Light and Love shone in their hearts!

Amen and Amen!

Charles Haddon Shank



Friday, May 10, 2013

In Your Presence Lord

In Your Presence, Lord, let us live, let us live, let us live
In Your Presence, Lord, let us live, let us live, let us live!
In Your Presence, Lord, let us live,
Oh our Lord, let us live!

We will live, oh Lord, we will live,
We will live, we will live!
In Your Presence Lord, we will live,
Oh Lord, by your Grace.

Let us love oh Lord, by your Law, by your Law, by your Law!
Let us love oh Lord, by your Law, by your Law, by your Law!
Let us love oh Lord, by your Law,
Oh Lord, by Your Law!

We will love, oh Lord, we will love,
We will love, we will love!
In Your Presence Lord, we will love,
Oh Lord, by your Law!

Hear our pray'r, oh Lord, hear our pray'r, hear our pray'r, hear our pray'r!
Hear our pray'r, oh Lord, hear our pray'r, hear our pray'r, hear our pray'r,
You have heard, oh Lord, our deep pray'r,
Oh Lord, in Your Love!

You have answered Lord, in your love,
In Your Love, in Your Love!
You have answered Lord, in Your Love,
Oh Lord, in Your Love!

We are singing Lord, in our Joy, in our Joy, in our Joy,
We are singing Lord, in our Joy, in our joy, in our joy
In your Presence Lord, we sing our praise,
Oh Lord, in our Joy!

You're our Joy, oh Lord, you're our Joy,
You're our Joy, You're our Joy,
You're our Joy, oh Lord, You're our Joy,
Oh Lord, you're our Joy!

In Your Joy, oh Lord, we shall live, we shall live, we shall live,
In Your Joy, oh Lord, we shall live, we shall live, we shall live,
In Your Joy, oh Lord, we shall live,
Oh, Lord, in Your Love!

As we live, oh Lord, we shall love,
We shall love, we shall love,
As we live, oh Lord, we shall love,
We shall love, oh Lord, with our lives!

Friday, May 03, 2013

A Chosen People

 If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, 
and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 
(John 14:23 NKJV)

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples. 
(Deuteronomy 7:7 NKJV)

Who are God's 'Chosen People'?

There can be no doubt that, under the Old Covenant, anyway, God did choose a special people for Himself, 'a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth', but it may be asked, with the Advent of the New Covenant, whether this still holds as true. With the inclusivity of the New Covenant in Christ, as has been taught by an increasing few, and the reconciliation of His people to Himself, as can be shown from Scripture, one could almost make the logical assumption here that this is the case. Many or most still cling voraciously to the biblical traditions of predestination, election and other related doctrines. Because of this, those who openly explore this option are often viewed as 'universalists' to whatever extent. Although there are those who have arrived at this conclusion, this is not necessarily true of all those who have bravely gone down this avenue. Those who have reached this conclusion have, for the most part, I believe, done so for one of several reasons. One reason is the question of what kind of God would consign a part of His good creation to hell, and to back up this emotionally-based, but reasonable, theory, they might point you to passages such as I John 2:2, which states, 'And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.' This passage can be 'proven' to be speaking, in the covenantal context, of the 'world' as the covenant world of that day, and arguably is so, but it is not too hard to conclude that this 'world' has been expanded to include all of His ( human ) creation. Another argument may be made here that He was/is the propitiation for the sins of only some out of the 'world', but this may be seen to be as much or more of a stretch, as some 'universalists' have been accused of!

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, 
But the way of the ungodly shall perish
(Psalm 1:6 NKJV )

Scriptures like this, in context, point fairly clearly to the fact that God, as most any father would, shows favor to those who follow the way of righteousness. This follows explicitly the biblical principle of reaping what you sow. This, as many other Scriptures that have been used to prove the pettiness of our Father, simply teaches the afore-mentioned principle; if you do this, this will happen, but if you do that, that will happen: it's only the conclusion of a naturally occurring principle!

The eschatological nature of many of these texts insist that the meaning is somehow of a slightly different nature to those reading them today. Though these Scriptures most surely hold application for us today, they do not hold quite the same import for us as they did for them. Now, lest we be accused of teaching that God has somehow changed His modus operandi from that first ( covenant ) to the New, it is not that God has changed His mode of operation, nor that His requirements have somehow become lesser, but He has revealed the expansiveness of His Covenant; 'in the fullness of time' He sent His Son as the Messiah of His people, to reveal His greater plan for His people!

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 
“The Lord knows those who are His,” 
 “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
 (II Timothy 2:19)


These and other texts as well make clear that our Creator knows those who are His people ( children ), and though these texts as well, can be seen to be at least somewhat eschatological in nature, since Scripture also says that He does not change, it is as obvious that He, and He alone, knows the heart of man, and who is His.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, 
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!
 (I Peter 2:9)

Hearkening back to the Hebrew Scriptures ( Exodus 19:6 ); we can clearly see that Yahweh did choose a peculiar people out of all He had created, to show His Grace and Mercy to! As the apostle Peter, as well as others, revealed in Scripture, we can also ascertain somewhat of His purpose in the creation of the covenant; it was that 'you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light'. One might rightly say that our Creator's purpose was/is an evangelistic one! In creating, first, a national ( geographic ) priesthood, Yahweh gradually revealed His true and glorious intent; to bring His entire ( human? ) creation into fellowship and communion with Himself!

Israel, under that first ( covenant-Hebrews 8:7-9 ) failed in their purpose, for the most part, for 'finding fault with them, He says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah', quoting the prophet Jeremiah ( 31:31-34 ). This New Covenant, as we have also seen previously, was revealed in the form of Jesus, first as the Son of Man, and finally the Son of God! Through this New Covenant, and the Revelation 'from glory to glory' ( I Corinthians 3:18 ), our purpose has been revealed: cowering behind a pulpit, and holding the fort till Jesus comes back and whisks us off to 'heaven', much to the chagrin  of many Christians, is not fulfilling God's purpose for us!

As the true priests of God in His true Temple, His Son's chosen Body, our purpose is to spread abroad, within our own sphere of influence, the knowledge and love of our Creator! The Church, as God's chosen instrument has not been the priest that She should have been, as history will attest to, but even though, the Kingdom of God has been advancing mightily in it's spread over His entire created order! His people, even outside ( maybe especially outside ) the institutional church have been forming relationships, some better than others, with their Heavenly Father! His will is being done 'on earth as it is in heaven.' More and more people are practicing Kingdom Living, no matter the cost ( often very hefty )! The Church, though She has failed in many ways to rightly fulfill her priestly duties, is still, as the Bride and Body of Christ, in very essence the Wife of God, and is thus a fit vessel for His love, and has been instrumental in advancing His ( visible ) Kingdom on earth!

In conclusion, because we have been perfected ( corporately ) in our ( individual ) imperfection, we must strive to show that perfection in our daily lives! Acknowledging and lauding the Kingship of Jesus alone in even what many Christians call secular ( everyday ) life, we must serve Him and His Kingdom in the capacity to which we have been called! Let us live the Life, and the Love, that we have been given, though it may often be deemed heresy!

Charles Haddon Shank