When the church begins to conform to society, it has become just another social club!
As an institution, the purpose of the Church was to transform Society! Reading the History of the Institutional Church, one can see that to varying degrees this was a successful mission, but of late ( 500-1,000 years ) one may wonder, into whose image was Society transformed? Did the Church ( IC ) really fulfill its true Mission, or failing in its mission to transform Society into its image, has it begun to conform to the image of a rebellious and God-less Society?
Many churches today are run more like businesses, with corporate CEOs rather than than spiritual leaders! This is only one of the many ways in which the church has conformed to 'the way of the world'! Many pastors today are worried more about the financial health of their congregations ( numbering in the thousands to tens of thousands ), more concerned with 'the bottom line' than in leading their congregation to search out the truth of the matter.
Another area is the matter of accepting the homosexual, lesbian, and transgender lifestyle as 'only natural'. Whether you believe that God created an LGBT 'gene' or not, the Scriptures are pretty clear how God instituted certain things ( marriage, for instance ). Marriage was not instituted between a man and a man, a woman and a women, men were not created to be compatible, physically or otherwise, with any but the opposite sex! Now, can a man love another man, a woman love another woman, and so on and so forth? Of course they can, and this is only naturally; God created us to love each other! Did He make a mistake and place a man in a woman's body, or vice-versa? To claim to be transgender is to say that God made a mistake!
Not to get too far off track, many churches ( and more everyday ) have excepted this perversion as natural, and not only that, have begun to 'marry' such individuals, and even ordain them to positions of leadership! It is now just as acceptable in many evangelical churches today to say 'it's the just way God made them', as it is in society at large. In fact in some areas, society at large has adopted a better position on some of these issues than the church ( IC ) has!
One area in which the Institutional Church succeeded in its mission ( to mold Society in its own image ) is in the use ( or misuse ) of the biblical injunction, 'judge not, lest ye be judged' ( Matthew 7:1 ). Society ( to a large extent), concerning the LGBT community especially, freely uses this injunction to condemn those who are not open-minded enough to accept these perverts for what they are. In this area as well, the IC has conformed, yet again, to the image that it presented itself in, to society! Talk about kicking your own ass!
What the church ( IC ) taught society has come full circle, biting its own head off, and devouring itself!
Beginning I don't know when, the church taught that we should not judge those who are outside, based on a misreading of Jesus' injunction. Somehow, this teaching filtered into a thirsty Society, and opened the gates for all kinds of biblical perversion to become acceptable and even encouraged. Now the Church has begun to conform to this false image which itself sought to transform Society by in the first place!
What irony, what lamentable irony!
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Perfect Law of Liberty
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
I Corinthians 13:10
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Jeremiah 31:33
Liberty, according to most any dictionary out there, is the ability to freely choose, not through some outside force or arbiter, but through the exercise of one's own free will. Like Law & Grace, some would probably say that Law and Liberty are two opposing ideas! Law and freedom seem like they would be in opposition, right? If there is an external Law saying that you cannot do a certain thing, then wouldn't you say that hampers your free will just a bit? Sure, you have the free will to disobey that Law, but then that usually hampers your Liberty!
Law, though often external, and outside of oneself, is in this case written on our hearts! The Law as given through Moses on Sinai, and written on tablets of stone, was simply a shadow, in part, of what was to come, that perfect Law, written on our hearts by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:25
Not much earlier in this same chapter, James talked about 'the implanted word'. This is that same Word/Law which the prophet Jeremiah wrote of as being written on our hearts. Because this Law is now written on our hearts, and internally implanted on our conscience, we can now truly obey this Law with Liberty, since it is an integral part of us ( 'in Him we live, move, and have our being'-Acts 17:28 )!
Previously, we have explored the notion that Jesus was the Law of God incarnate, that He not only filled up ( fulfilled ) the Law, but that He, in His Flesh, was actually the embodiment of the Law! As the Body of Christ, and in that sense, the corporate Son of God, we are, in that sense, a Law unto ourselves, that Law being the Law of Love!
We have the Scriptures, our English Bible, in various forms, to which we might turn for instruction in righteousness ( I Timothy 3:16 ), and it is usually a good thing that we do, because there is such a cacophony of voices telling us what we should and should not do, what we do and do not want, that we might quickly become confused and unsure of what voice to listen to!
Though we have the Scriptures in written form, with 'the implanted word' being written on our hearts, as God promised through Jeremiah, one might wonder then, 'Do we even need the Bible any longer?' Well, yes! James also writes later on in his epistle, 'faith without works is dead?' Although it is truly Faith Alone that saved us ( 'not of yourselves.......'-Ephesians 2:8 ), God works together with us, by our works proving our faith. Through our religious knowledge ( in action ) of His Written Word, we thus prove the inner work of the Holy Spirit, and the Law written on our hearts.
What shall we do with this 'perfect law of liberty'? Shall we become libertines, and do as Israel did in the times of the Judges, 'every man doing what was right in his own eyes', since we are, in effect, a Law unto ourselves? How much Liberty would there be in that? No True Liberty, for in doing whatever we wanted, we would be hampering, or outright denying the Liberty of another! With the Perfect, or complete Law of Liberty, as found in Jesus the Christ, the Law of Love, there is no hampering or denying another's liberty! 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed'; conversely, if the Son does not set you free, you are not truly free!
There is no freedom, no true liberty apart from Christ!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, October 11, 2013
Called to Perfection; The Community of Divinity
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
I said, “You [ are ] gods,
And all of you [ are ] children of the Most High.
And all of you [ are ] children of the Most High.
Psalm 82:6
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.
Hosea 11:1
'Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect' ( Matthew 5:48 ). The Greek 'τέλειος', transliterated 'teleios' has more a meaning of completeness than of the way that we think of perfection today. When we say that someone is perfect, whether its in our own eyes or in God's sight, we are usually saying that one is with sin, or flaw, as in 'a perfect body'. In the latter half of Psalm 101:2, David writes, 'I will walk within my house with a perfect heart'. Again, the Hebrew 'תֹּם', transliterated 'tom' has more of a definition of 'completeness' than what we usually think of as 'perfection'. Now, please don't get me wrong here: I am not trying to say that we should not strive for the modern definition of perfection, as found in phrases like, 'Adam & Eve were created perfect'. We should always be concerned with doing right, with living up to the completeness, or perfection in which we, as the Body of Christ, have been called and made!
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
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
to an innumerable company of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [ who are ] registered in heaven,
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than [ that of ] Abel.
Hebrews 12:22-24
Biblical history is linear; there was a Beginning, and there was an End! In the Book of Revelation, we see this 'Alpha & Omega'. God began by 'creating', and ended by decreating, yet creating anew, in a very perfect chiasm. The more we study and search things out, the more we are convinced by the Hebrew usage that the creation account in Genesis 1 &2 was not that of the universe and of humankind ( from their inception ), but of 'the Land', and then 'Man on the Land'. God instituted His Covenant with Creation by beginning in one small area, what is commonly know as 'The Cradle of Civilization'. From there, the knowledge of God spread outward to the known world, which, at the time was the Mediterranean region, in particular, 'the Land', more commonly known as Israel, or Palestine. From there, this knowledge spread out further, to the far reaches of what became the Roman Empire, and through succeeding empires, throughout the whole world, and every nation under heaven!
The writer to the Hebrews told his readers that they had arrived at this end, the eschatological Hope that had been foretold throughout Scripture; they had attained perfection, not through any merit of their own, but by 'the blood of sprinkling'. Through this Baptism of the Holy Spirit of God, through the sacrifice of the Christ, the had been 'made perfect', or complete, they had reached the End, which was the Dwelling of God with and in His People, His True Temple! This had been pictured and foreshadowed throughout the History of Israel, Beginning with the Garden of Eden, and Ending with the destruction of Herod's Temple in 70AD, the last man-made vestige of God's Temple. Now was the Time for the Temple 'made without hands' ( Daniel 2:45:58 ). to be revealed. This Temple, in and through Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the Body of His People, 'Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice'!
'This is inconsistent', you might say, 'with other pieces you have written on the subject of 'All God's Children'!' Is it? You may judge for yourself ( and please do ) whether what I have said here is inconsistent with my previous writings, but I do not believe that it is! Just because all are God's children does not mean that all are God's Temple, as David wrote in Psalm 50:5 above! As John wrote ( John 14:23 ), it is those ( of His children ) who obey His Covenant and love Him that God enters into and makes His Dwelling!
The perfection to which we, as the People, or Temple of God have attained unto is not simply a flawless beauty which comes through any physical prowess, nor is it what we most often think of as perfection ( at least in Christianity ) a flawless obedience to God's Holy Law of Love ( although that may be included );the perfection to which we have attained is the Marriage of Heaven & Earth, wherein God Dwells in His Temple, and we are One!
Married and loving Him,
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, October 05, 2013
The Glorious Body of Christ
Is Glory Relative?
In relation to humanity, what is glorious to one may may not be glorious to the other. In biblical usage, the Greek doxazō almost sounds relativistic. We must remember though, that we are dealing with Absolute Truth here, with an Immutable God! Though we as humans may ( and do ) have our differing opinions about whether a thing ( or Person ) is glorious or not, our opinion, and theirs is just that, merely an opinion, nothing more, nothing less. As the saying goes, 'it is what it is'; The Body of Christ, no matter how we see it, is glorious, and nothing that we can do or think will make it otherwise!
Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them,
“Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.
Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
Luke 24:36-39
This passage, and the parallel one in John 20, is traditionally used to prove the nature of Jesus' Glorified Body, but I believe that when we use such speculation as to say that our glorified bodies will be physical, yet not ( being able to walk through walls and such ) is to miss the whole point of Luke's relation here! The point is not that He was able to appear in their midst even though the door was locked ( significant of their stubborn hearts of unbelief? ), but that He appeared in their midst. The point was not that He had the self-same Body or not ( 'Behold My hands and My feet' ), but that by doing all these things, He had unequivocally defeated Death!
We, as human beings, have a natural tendency toward individualism! Because Scripture says that 'we will be like Him' ( I John 3:2. Philippians 3:21 ), we think that our ( individual ) body will become somewhere in between, physical but yet not. We will be able to walk through walls ( like Jesus? ) yet we will also be able to eat and drink, marry and be given in marriage. We will be free from any kind of pain for old things will have passed away, and all things will have become new!
Is this what Scripture truly teaches, though? The writers of Holy Writ, we can see from searching both the original text ( Greek & Hebrew ) and the covenant context, were not concerned with individual bodies being raised from the grave, but of the corporate Body of Israel being resurrected from the dead, and made to stand again, as pictured in Ezekiel 37, most succinctly. Much of the traditional doctrines ( of men ) that we read into Scripture, especially of individual bodies being raised ( although there is no doubt that this did happen ) come from a faulty translation, and ultimately, a rebellious spirit! Because we are not satisfied with the good creation that God has made us, we strive to speculate that one day, the Creation that man has ruined will be renewed, and made like Adam was in the beginning, physically perfect, without blemish!
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
( Ephesians 5:25-27 )
The Gospel writers wrote individualistically, in many cases, it may seem, but these individuals, for the most part, as we see above, were and are simply pictures of the Greater Reality! The author of Hebrews, for instance, writes of this corporate reality, the Body of Christ Himself, in Hebrews 12:18-24.
The biological body with which Jesus appeared to His disciples in that famous upper room was obviously the self-same body in which He was buried, or which had been place in the rich man's grave. His glorious physical body, though, was in effect, no different then His body before He ascended to His Father, as Daniel foresees in his prophecy ( Daniel 7:13 ), for His physical resurrection was simply a picture, an indication, of our resurrection, the standing ( upright ) again, of the corporate Body of Israel, the Body that had fallen through the Death of Adam!
In previous studies, we have explored the notion, the fact, as I believe it to be, that Jesus' biological Body was raised simply to prove to His generation, who were 'slow of heart' ( Luke 24:25 ) that He had indeed defeated Death! He appeared to them, first, as the symbolically risen Christ, then as the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to comfort and strengthen them in their tribulation! As the Risen Christ, he comforted His disciples with the fact that Death no longer had any power over them, and He prepared them ( John 8, etc. ) for the coming ( back ) of His Holy Spirit, who would strengthen them for the great trial and tribulation that they would soon face!
The biological body of Christ was glorified, made glorious, no doubt ( 'Do not cling to Me'-John 20:17 ), but His glorification was simply a picture of the final glorification of the People of God ( Romans 8:29 ), His Church, the Glorious Body of Christ!
May we realize this simple and absolute Truth, and act accordingly,
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, October 03, 2013
A Divided Kingdom?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
Mark 3:24
Mark 3:24
Looking at the institutional church today, anyone with eyes to see can plainly see that, like Israel of old, it is divided against itself, and so cannot stand much longer! Scripture tells us the laborious and often shockingly perverted history of Israel as a nation; her rises and falls, the intricacies of her idolatrous and adulterous web-weaving and harlotrous death-style, all of which led ultimately to her final down-fall as a nation, never to rise again!
As an institution, the church has become so laughable that many Christians have found better things to do on Sunday mornings! There are so many different denominations, and they all believe that their doctrine is the correct one, that you might find yourself hard-pressed to see a big difference between its members and the local motorcycle club or gang!
The Israelite nation that we read about in the hallowed pages of the Bible, particularly in the book of Kings, was so similar to what we see happening in much of the world today, especially in America, that one is almost tempted to make a comparison of the two, and to forecast the same end for America! America, just like the institutional church, if she even survives the coming cataclysm, will never be the same again, and do you know why? Because this is God's Kingdom, this is God's Church ( His People ), and He rules the nations with a rod of iron!
Empires rise and fall at His command!
The Church, or Body of Christ can never be divided!
Here is where the nation of Israel went wrong; they thought that, since God had made them His special people, a nation of priests, that they should keep themselves separate from the other nations forever, and instead of being priests to the nations and spreading abroad the knowledge of their Creator, they thought to keep Him all to themselves, and thus, through their own perversions, rather than priests, became a laughing-stock!
The institutional church today, not necessarily the Body of Christ, has made much the same mistake. If one is not within the fold of some institutional church, or does not live within the confines of some written code, then that one is seen as heretic, and without the Kingdom! He may be brought within its confines, but only if he subscribes to said written code ( in one form or another ), and hunkers down inside the four walls of some church building every Sunday ( and maybe Wednesday )!
As the Body of Christ however, the Church will never and can never be divided! According to the purpose and foreknowledge of Almighty God, our Creator, there are members of this Body within the institutional church, and I daresay even that there are institutional churches which are largely made up of members of the Body of Christ! We must remember though, and I believe this is one of the church's ( and Church's ) gravest mistakes; we are priests to the nations, the healing waters, the leaves of the Tree of Life that flow to the nations; if we simply hunker down and hold the fort, we will lose!
Only as we realize, turn and repent as a Body Politic, will we have the Desired Effect on His Creation, only when we recognize the spirituality of God's nation of priests will we begin to heal the nations through shining His Light, as 'a city on a hill'!
May we realize this truth, that we are not a divided Kingdom, but one Body, and One Tree of Life!
Charles Haddon Shank
As an institution, the church has become so laughable that many Christians have found better things to do on Sunday mornings! There are so many different denominations, and they all believe that their doctrine is the correct one, that you might find yourself hard-pressed to see a big difference between its members and the local motorcycle club or gang!
The Israelite nation that we read about in the hallowed pages of the Bible, particularly in the book of Kings, was so similar to what we see happening in much of the world today, especially in America, that one is almost tempted to make a comparison of the two, and to forecast the same end for America! America, just like the institutional church, if she even survives the coming cataclysm, will never be the same again, and do you know why? Because this is God's Kingdom, this is God's Church ( His People ), and He rules the nations with a rod of iron!
Empires rise and fall at His command!
The Church, or Body of Christ can never be divided!
Here is where the nation of Israel went wrong; they thought that, since God had made them His special people, a nation of priests, that they should keep themselves separate from the other nations forever, and instead of being priests to the nations and spreading abroad the knowledge of their Creator, they thought to keep Him all to themselves, and thus, through their own perversions, rather than priests, became a laughing-stock!
The institutional church today, not necessarily the Body of Christ, has made much the same mistake. If one is not within the fold of some institutional church, or does not live within the confines of some written code, then that one is seen as heretic, and without the Kingdom! He may be brought within its confines, but only if he subscribes to said written code ( in one form or another ), and hunkers down inside the four walls of some church building every Sunday ( and maybe Wednesday )!
As the Body of Christ however, the Church will never and can never be divided! According to the purpose and foreknowledge of Almighty God, our Creator, there are members of this Body within the institutional church, and I daresay even that there are institutional churches which are largely made up of members of the Body of Christ! We must remember though, and I believe this is one of the church's ( and Church's ) gravest mistakes; we are priests to the nations, the healing waters, the leaves of the Tree of Life that flow to the nations; if we simply hunker down and hold the fort, we will lose!
Only as we realize, turn and repent as a Body Politic, will we have the Desired Effect on His Creation, only when we recognize the spirituality of God's nation of priests will we begin to heal the nations through shining His Light, as 'a city on a hill'!
May we realize this truth, that we are not a divided Kingdom, but one Body, and One Tree of Life!
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, September 30, 2013
Molech Worship; We're Killing our Children!
How many Christian parents out there ( for I do not call them anything but ignorant ) place their offspring in the public, or government school system, thinking that somehow, their impressionable and immature children will not succumb to the peer-pressures of the evil that it has become, but will instead have a salvific effect on that corrupted society?
Common sense alone should tell you that, if your child's teachers tell your child one thing for 8-9 hours a day, no matter how much you try to train up that child in the way he or she should go, you're going to be fighting a losing battle and your child will most likely end up being more confused than those other children, along with whom he or she is being indoctrinated!
In most, if not all American prisons today, the inmates often lead a healthier ( physically speaking ) existence than some of those who abide by the laws of the land! A guaranteed three squares a day, a warm cot, and a free education ( if you want it ); sure, it can be dangerous, but, in some of our larger cities, isn't it just as dangerous outside the prison walls? Never mind the fact that probably at least 75% of convicts will live the rest of their lives behind bars, plaguing society with the burden that society has unwittingly and ignorantly laid upon their own backs! Sure, there are those who actually do pull off a true reform behind bars, and end up becoming productive members of society ( once again )! Some have even entered into a true and good relationship with their Heavenly Father while physically imprisoned! By the same token, it is quite possible, with God as their helper, that a young Christian could have an influence on, rather than be influenced by, the corruption that has become our society! Not likely though, and as Jesus replied to His tempter, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God'; for a Christian parent to place their child into one of these centers of indoctrination is akin to throwing him or her into a den of lions!
In today's American public schools, the education may be 'free', but is it really, especially for the Christian? Your child will learn that he or she is the only one that matters; what he or she wants or likes is what is most important! They will learn, among other things, that you can be anything you want in a 'free society' ( and I use both words very loosely ), as long as its's not a Christian, unless you keep it behind your eyes and between your ears. Even then, you'll most likely end up in some sort of trouble; either that, or end up losing your religion! Most, or many, will end up becoming so indoctrinated and brainwashed that they will end up behind the bars of a prisons, often before they have left the confines of the schoolyard! Speaking of schoolyards; how many public or government schools have you seen, or heard about that have razor wire fences raised high around their yards, whether to keep Nature out, or to keep the children in, until the whistle blows or the bell tolls? How many of these institutions of ( mediocre, at best ) learning have metal detectors that the children must walk through before they can enter? How many have bars on the windows ( for whatever reason )? How many have armed guards patrolling the hallways or standing at attention in darkened doorways? All this is quite understandable; reprehensible, but understandable. The government schools are simply a breeding ground for America's prison population!
How has America veered so far off course; where did we go wrong?
Public schools, not necessarily government schools in the beginning, started well, but because humanity is so prone to corruption, any human institution is prone to it as well! This is where the Church, or Body of Christ comes in: She is to be a transformational force in society, rather than conforming to it's image! As a body though, made up of corruptible and easily deceived men and women, the institutionalized church, rather than transforming society into the Image of the Creator of Society, has conformed so much to a corrupted society that there is almost no noticeable difference!
What may be done, you may ask, to remedy this abominable and horrific situation??
We, as parents, especially Christian parents, are instructed to teach those children that God has entrusted to us, in the way in which they should go, the way of life! In the care of these ( government ) centers for indoctrination, they learn, more often than not, the way that leads to death; not always to physical death, but death nonetheless! We are to teach them the importance of communion in the corporate Body of Christ; the public schools teach them the importance of communion with themselves ( is that even possible?! )! We are to teach them to love God and their neighbor as themselves; there, they are taught the importance of loving yourself and being nice to those who are nice to you! We are to teach them to do unto others as we would have them to to us; there, they are taught to make a preemptive strike, doing unto others before they have a chance to do it to you!
If we, as Christian parents, would shoulder the responsibility that God has placed upon us and educate our own children, teaching them from their youth the way in which they should go. By not sacrificing them on the altar of convenience, and allowing a corrupted government school to confuse them, and likely foster their own natural corruptibility, we can break the cycle and begin to raise a new generation of God-seekers!
There are those who have floundered through the public ( government ) school system and made it out okay, but, sad to say, most of these seek after God within the walls of some institutional church building! It seems like a vicious circle, but it can be broken! It will be broken with the help of our beneficent and most gracious God and Father! With His help, and with the perseverance of His Saints, we will raise up a generation that knows no other God but the One, True and Living God!
May it be,
Charles Haddon Shank
Common sense alone should tell you that, if your child's teachers tell your child one thing for 8-9 hours a day, no matter how much you try to train up that child in the way he or she should go, you're going to be fighting a losing battle and your child will most likely end up being more confused than those other children, along with whom he or she is being indoctrinated!
In most, if not all American prisons today, the inmates often lead a healthier ( physically speaking ) existence than some of those who abide by the laws of the land! A guaranteed three squares a day, a warm cot, and a free education ( if you want it ); sure, it can be dangerous, but, in some of our larger cities, isn't it just as dangerous outside the prison walls? Never mind the fact that probably at least 75% of convicts will live the rest of their lives behind bars, plaguing society with the burden that society has unwittingly and ignorantly laid upon their own backs! Sure, there are those who actually do pull off a true reform behind bars, and end up becoming productive members of society ( once again )! Some have even entered into a true and good relationship with their Heavenly Father while physically imprisoned! By the same token, it is quite possible, with God as their helper, that a young Christian could have an influence on, rather than be influenced by, the corruption that has become our society! Not likely though, and as Jesus replied to His tempter, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God'; for a Christian parent to place their child into one of these centers of indoctrination is akin to throwing him or her into a den of lions!
In today's American public schools, the education may be 'free', but is it really, especially for the Christian? Your child will learn that he or she is the only one that matters; what he or she wants or likes is what is most important! They will learn, among other things, that you can be anything you want in a 'free society' ( and I use both words very loosely ), as long as its's not a Christian, unless you keep it behind your eyes and between your ears. Even then, you'll most likely end up in some sort of trouble; either that, or end up losing your religion! Most, or many, will end up becoming so indoctrinated and brainwashed that they will end up behind the bars of a prisons, often before they have left the confines of the schoolyard! Speaking of schoolyards; how many public or government schools have you seen, or heard about that have razor wire fences raised high around their yards, whether to keep Nature out, or to keep the children in, until the whistle blows or the bell tolls? How many of these institutions of ( mediocre, at best ) learning have metal detectors that the children must walk through before they can enter? How many have bars on the windows ( for whatever reason )? How many have armed guards patrolling the hallways or standing at attention in darkened doorways? All this is quite understandable; reprehensible, but understandable. The government schools are simply a breeding ground for America's prison population!
How has America veered so far off course; where did we go wrong?
Public schools, not necessarily government schools in the beginning, started well, but because humanity is so prone to corruption, any human institution is prone to it as well! This is where the Church, or Body of Christ comes in: She is to be a transformational force in society, rather than conforming to it's image! As a body though, made up of corruptible and easily deceived men and women, the institutionalized church, rather than transforming society into the Image of the Creator of Society, has conformed so much to a corrupted society that there is almost no noticeable difference!
What may be done, you may ask, to remedy this abominable and horrific situation??
'And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.'
'You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.'
Deuteronomy 6:6 & 7
We, as parents, especially Christian parents, are instructed to teach those children that God has entrusted to us, in the way in which they should go, the way of life! In the care of these ( government ) centers for indoctrination, they learn, more often than not, the way that leads to death; not always to physical death, but death nonetheless! We are to teach them the importance of communion in the corporate Body of Christ; the public schools teach them the importance of communion with themselves ( is that even possible?! )! We are to teach them to love God and their neighbor as themselves; there, they are taught the importance of loving yourself and being nice to those who are nice to you! We are to teach them to do unto others as we would have them to to us; there, they are taught to make a preemptive strike, doing unto others before they have a chance to do it to you!
If we, as Christian parents, would shoulder the responsibility that God has placed upon us and educate our own children, teaching them from their youth the way in which they should go. By not sacrificing them on the altar of convenience, and allowing a corrupted government school to confuse them, and likely foster their own natural corruptibility, we can break the cycle and begin to raise a new generation of God-seekers!
There are those who have floundered through the public ( government ) school system and made it out okay, but, sad to say, most of these seek after God within the walls of some institutional church building! It seems like a vicious circle, but it can be broken! It will be broken with the help of our beneficent and most gracious God and Father! With His help, and with the perseverance of His Saints, we will raise up a generation that knows no other God but the One, True and Living God!
May it be,
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Perfection Point (for Ginger Schatz )
Is there a point at which humanity will reach physical perfection?At some point in the future, will mankind reach a sort of utopia where there is no sickness, no sighing, crying or dying? We'd all like to believe that there is such a place, and especially that we will live long enough to see it, or maybe our children or grandchildren; it's a beautiful dream, isn't it?
If we could only return to the Garden like it was in the beginning, where man had direct Communion with God everyday and everything was right, good, and as it should be!
What a minute; what about the snake, or serpent?! We can't forget either that there was a forbidden Tree in the Garden that God planted and in which He placed His good Creation! Whether you believe that he serpent was possessed by that fallen spiritual being known as 'Satan', or whether you subscribe to the Scriptural ( and shocking? ) notion that this 'serpent' was simply a man who was outside the special Covenant that God had typologically made with Adam and his descendants; the fact that God had placed this Tree in the Garden, knowing that Adam would disobey His voice and eat of it, should give us pause!
One would almost think that God planned it that way, knowing that man, in his imperfection, would carry out His Divine Will and Purpose for His Creation! Now, don't get me wrong; I'm by no means saying that because we carry out God's Will in our imperfection, that we should, as the apostle Paul was accused of preach, 'sin more, that Grace may abound'; God forbid! All I'm saying is that we should rest in the fact that though we are imperfect, at least, according to the modern usage, God works His purpose through those imperfections, for, as the apostle also wrote that His 'strength is made perfect in weakness'.
Now, as we can see, from passages like Hebrews 10:14, we have been 'perfected forever'! This definitely is not ( by any means ) to say that we, as individuals, are perfect, at least, not according to the modern usage, but as the Body of Christ, the Body which all of the writers of Scripture had in view, we ( corporately ) have been made perfect, or complete in our fullness, in Christ. Another way to say this is that we fulfill His perfection; we fill it up daily by living our lives according to God's Law of Love!
According to the modern usage of the word, we do not fulfill God's Law of Love on a daily basis, not to mention hourly, minutely, or even secondly!
In his first letter to the churches, John wrote, 'There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love' ( I John 4:18 ); was he saying that if one fears, he does not love in truth, or was he saying that if one has fear, but casts it aside for the sake of love, that he has been made perfect in love? Earlier in this same passage, John wrote to his 'children', 'If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us'. It sound like, if we love God, and our neighbor ( brother ), that we have reached the 'Point of Perfection'!
Now, again, do we do it perfectly? Not at all! But, like a wise man said, 'we have been perfected in our imperfection'!
Will we ever reach the point of perfection, where we will never fail to always love perfectly, will we always be able to cast fear aside and love without fear? Its a nice dream, but human nature has proven time and time again that this is impossible! With God, however, we know that 'all things are possible', and it is only through and in Him ( Him in us ) that we have reached that 'Perfection Point'!
May we always remember John's words, for by loving God, and our neighbor as our self, we can be assured that we have been perfected in His Love, and that all fear has been cast aside!
Charles Haddon Shank
If we could only return to the Garden like it was in the beginning, where man had direct Communion with God everyday and everything was right, good, and as it should be!
What a minute; what about the snake, or serpent?! We can't forget either that there was a forbidden Tree in the Garden that God planted and in which He placed His good Creation! Whether you believe that he serpent was possessed by that fallen spiritual being known as 'Satan', or whether you subscribe to the Scriptural ( and shocking? ) notion that this 'serpent' was simply a man who was outside the special Covenant that God had typologically made with Adam and his descendants; the fact that God had placed this Tree in the Garden, knowing that Adam would disobey His voice and eat of it, should give us pause!
One would almost think that God planned it that way, knowing that man, in his imperfection, would carry out His Divine Will and Purpose for His Creation! Now, don't get me wrong; I'm by no means saying that because we carry out God's Will in our imperfection, that we should, as the apostle Paul was accused of preach, 'sin more, that Grace may abound'; God forbid! All I'm saying is that we should rest in the fact that though we are imperfect, at least, according to the modern usage, God works His purpose through those imperfections, for, as the apostle also wrote that His 'strength is made perfect in weakness'.
Now, as we can see, from passages like Hebrews 10:14, we have been 'perfected forever'! This definitely is not ( by any means ) to say that we, as individuals, are perfect, at least, not according to the modern usage, but as the Body of Christ, the Body which all of the writers of Scripture had in view, we ( corporately ) have been made perfect, or complete in our fullness, in Christ. Another way to say this is that we fulfill His perfection; we fill it up daily by living our lives according to God's Law of Love!
According to the modern usage of the word, we do not fulfill God's Law of Love on a daily basis, not to mention hourly, minutely, or even secondly!
In his first letter to the churches, John wrote, 'There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love' ( I John 4:18 ); was he saying that if one fears, he does not love in truth, or was he saying that if one has fear, but casts it aside for the sake of love, that he has been made perfect in love? Earlier in this same passage, John wrote to his 'children', 'If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us'. It sound like, if we love God, and our neighbor ( brother ), that we have reached the 'Point of Perfection'!
Now, again, do we do it perfectly? Not at all! But, like a wise man said, 'we have been perfected in our imperfection'!
Will we ever reach the point of perfection, where we will never fail to always love perfectly, will we always be able to cast fear aside and love without fear? Its a nice dream, but human nature has proven time and time again that this is impossible! With God, however, we know that 'all things are possible', and it is only through and in Him ( Him in us ) that we have reached that 'Perfection Point'!
May we always remember John's words, for by loving God, and our neighbor as our self, we can be assured that we have been perfected in His Love, and that all fear has been cast aside!
Charles Haddon Shank
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Conversations With a Bullfrog; 'Just as I Am'
Out of the blue, the other morning I received a call from my old friend and sometime nemesis, Jeremiah Bereano. 'Where have you been?', I demanded, quite rudely! There was silence on the other end for a bit, then kinda of a short, terse reply ( like I'd hurt his feelings or something )'Well, hello to you too'. I hadn't heard from him in some time, and I reminded him that he had promised to keep in better touch, but he replied ( in reminder to ME ) that it worked both ways; I coulda called him, and it had been a shorter time this time then the one before, between calls! I had to ( grudgingly ) admit that he was right on both counts, then and so, I asked quickly, 'what's up, Doc?' ( apparently, he was now Dr. Jeremiah Bereano, PhD. )
Well, it seems that my friend, in his spare time, along with the doctorate and all, had been doing some thinking. 'You know I'm single again, right, Chuck?' Well duh; I knew that he was in circumstances much like my own, and I quickly reminded him of that lamentable fact! 'Yes', I slowly and deliberately said. ( like, DUH! ) 'Well", he said, 'I've been thinking.......... 'I wonder if some of us aren't able to better serve the Kingdom of Heaven better as single people'; maybe that's what Jesus meant when He said, 'there are eunuchs who were born thus from [ their ] mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept [ it ], let him accept [ it ]'. ( Matthew 19:12 ) 'I know that you believe all Scripture has been fulfilled, and that this passage must be read in the covenant context of audience relevance, but might not this Scripture apply to us today?' 'Being the husband of one wife, and women naturally being jealous, wouldn't it make practical sense that if one were unmarried, he would have a better opportunity to minister to people, in particular, women?'
He had a point, as far as that went; not that women are the only ones naturally jealous ( men are too-and just like men, not all women are ). 'Isn't it God's Plan though, according to Scripture, that 'each man have his own wife, and......each woman.........her own husband' ( I Corinthians 7:2 ) To be fair, audience relevance and context could be argued here as well, but thankfully, my friend didn't push the issue! The immediate context, as well, of Paul's words ( 'because of sexual immorality' ) nix the whole idea that everyone should necessarily be married! Marriage obviously, on its own anyway, does not put the brakes on sexual immorality! Later on in his letter to the Corinthian Church, the apostle Paul stated that it was better if they could remain as he was, whether unmarried, divorced or widowed. ( I speculate that Paul was previously married, but that his wife divorced him when he became a Christian )
'I realize', he said, 'that some are trying to make the Bible, or Scripture, not applicable to us today, since we are not Jews and all of Scripture has been fulfilled, but I agree with you Chuck ( I about dropped dead here ) that the meaning of 'fulfilled' had a better connotation of 'filled up', rather than 'ended'!' 'Just because Jesus and Paul were speaking and writing to those first-century Jews, according to the situation ( not unlike ours today ), doesn't mean that those words hold nothing for us today!'
'Well', I replied, 'their situation was like yet unlike ours today; we are merely facing a paradigm shift, they were facing the end of all things!' 'We are dealing with the Eternal Covenant which the end of their paradigm/age ushered in; they were dealing with a paradigm shift as well, but theirs was a paradigm shift that made the people of God His New Temple, as they were meant to be!'
'Did you know that Paul used the same word in Ephesians 5:21 as he did in 5:22?'
'What does that have to do with whether or not we can serve the Kingdom better being married or being single?!' ( My friend could be annoying sometimes, with his seemingly out-of-the-blue 'switching gears' )
'It is related', he reasoned, 'sorta'! 'If the husband is to submit to the wife as much as the wife to the husband, then that kinda blows out of the water the whole notion that men are somehow the final authority, and that the woman is the only one who needs to bow, or submit to that authority!'
'Okay, I still fail to see how that relates!'
Apparently, this is what he really wanted to talk about when he called! Therefore, it's related........because he said it did! Okay, so we were still on the subject of marriage, although a slightly different aspect..............okay, we can do this!
My friend, the PhD, soon advised me of this very fact! 'While it is true', he said, 'that God did set the man over the woman, or wife, as the head of the family; He also gave the wife just as much authority over her children, and charged them both with submission to each other!' Okay, Paul said as much in his letter to the Ephesians (5:23 ); 'For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church'. In the immediate context, though, Paul tells them that 'He is the Savior of the body'. We,as men, are certainly not a perfect picture of Christ, as the heads of our families! Nor, I think, are we meant to be; by submitting to each other, in the Lord ( as our children are to obey us in the Lord ) we submit ourselves to Christ as our True Head!
'This may be a conversation for another day', my friend remarked, before he hung up ( something about a meeting ), 'but what exactly did Jesus mean when He said that 'those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage' ( Luke 20:35 )?' 'I know that these words were primarily meant for the ears of His first-century audience, but as we are the sons of that coming age He talked about, those words are for us as well, don't you think?' 'I'm not trying to say that the institution of marriage is over and done with, but I would think that they have some meaning, as most Scripture does, beyond the first-century!'
Well, my friends, Dr. Jeremiah Bereano was right; that was a question for another day!
We both said our quick goodbyes and hung up our respective phones; back to the glorious rat-race of Kingdom Life; he to his, and me to mine!
Well, it seems that my friend, in his spare time, along with the doctorate and all, had been doing some thinking. 'You know I'm single again, right, Chuck?' Well duh; I knew that he was in circumstances much like my own, and I quickly reminded him of that lamentable fact! 'Yes', I slowly and deliberately said. ( like, DUH! ) 'Well", he said, 'I've been thinking.......... 'I wonder if some of us aren't able to better serve the Kingdom of Heaven better as single people'; maybe that's what Jesus meant when He said, 'there are eunuchs who were born thus from [ their ] mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept [ it ], let him accept [ it ]'. ( Matthew 19:12 ) 'I know that you believe all Scripture has been fulfilled, and that this passage must be read in the covenant context of audience relevance, but might not this Scripture apply to us today?' 'Being the husband of one wife, and women naturally being jealous, wouldn't it make practical sense that if one were unmarried, he would have a better opportunity to minister to people, in particular, women?'
He had a point, as far as that went; not that women are the only ones naturally jealous ( men are too-and just like men, not all women are ). 'Isn't it God's Plan though, according to Scripture, that 'each man have his own wife, and......each woman.........her own husband' ( I Corinthians 7:2 ) To be fair, audience relevance and context could be argued here as well, but thankfully, my friend didn't push the issue! The immediate context, as well, of Paul's words ( 'because of sexual immorality' ) nix the whole idea that everyone should necessarily be married! Marriage obviously, on its own anyway, does not put the brakes on sexual immorality! Later on in his letter to the Corinthian Church, the apostle Paul stated that it was better if they could remain as he was, whether unmarried, divorced or widowed. ( I speculate that Paul was previously married, but that his wife divorced him when he became a Christian )
'I realize', he said, 'that some are trying to make the Bible, or Scripture, not applicable to us today, since we are not Jews and all of Scripture has been fulfilled, but I agree with you Chuck ( I about dropped dead here ) that the meaning of 'fulfilled' had a better connotation of 'filled up', rather than 'ended'!' 'Just because Jesus and Paul were speaking and writing to those first-century Jews, according to the situation ( not unlike ours today ), doesn't mean that those words hold nothing for us today!'
'Well', I replied, 'their situation was like yet unlike ours today; we are merely facing a paradigm shift, they were facing the end of all things!' 'We are dealing with the Eternal Covenant which the end of their paradigm/age ushered in; they were dealing with a paradigm shift as well, but theirs was a paradigm shift that made the people of God His New Temple, as they were meant to be!'
'Did you know that Paul used the same word in Ephesians 5:21 as he did in 5:22?'
'What does that have to do with whether or not we can serve the Kingdom better being married or being single?!' ( My friend could be annoying sometimes, with his seemingly out-of-the-blue 'switching gears' )
'It is related', he reasoned, 'sorta'! 'If the husband is to submit to the wife as much as the wife to the husband, then that kinda blows out of the water the whole notion that men are somehow the final authority, and that the woman is the only one who needs to bow, or submit to that authority!'
'Okay, I still fail to see how that relates!'
Apparently, this is what he really wanted to talk about when he called! Therefore, it's related........because he said it did! Okay, so we were still on the subject of marriage, although a slightly different aspect..............okay, we can do this!
My friend, the PhD, soon advised me of this very fact! 'While it is true', he said, 'that God did set the man over the woman, or wife, as the head of the family; He also gave the wife just as much authority over her children, and charged them both with submission to each other!' Okay, Paul said as much in his letter to the Ephesians (5:23 ); 'For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church'. In the immediate context, though, Paul tells them that 'He is the Savior of the body'. We,as men, are certainly not a perfect picture of Christ, as the heads of our families! Nor, I think, are we meant to be; by submitting to each other, in the Lord ( as our children are to obey us in the Lord ) we submit ourselves to Christ as our True Head!
'This may be a conversation for another day', my friend remarked, before he hung up ( something about a meeting ), 'but what exactly did Jesus mean when He said that 'those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage' ( Luke 20:35 )?' 'I know that these words were primarily meant for the ears of His first-century audience, but as we are the sons of that coming age He talked about, those words are for us as well, don't you think?' 'I'm not trying to say that the institution of marriage is over and done with, but I would think that they have some meaning, as most Scripture does, beyond the first-century!'
Well, my friends, Dr. Jeremiah Bereano was right; that was a question for another day!
We both said our quick goodbyes and hung up our respective phones; back to the glorious rat-race of Kingdom Life; he to his, and me to mine!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Rise and ( Coming ) Fall of the American Empire
I am by no means a history buff, nor am I all that knowledgeable about American history. All that I do remember though, about our history as a nation, came, not from any of the newer, and thus probably corrupted versions, but from older and likely less biased history books. Keeping in mind, of course, that it's usually the winner that gets to write the history books, we might remember that pretty much any history will probably be thus at least somewhat biased!
When America was founded, well over 200 years ago, depending on whose version of history you read, the founding fathers of this great nation, while being driven by more or less Christian principles, did not disallow for it to become an empire, much less one in direct opposition to their Creator and His Law. Even though our nation still is known in some circles as a 'Christian nation', and has, in the past anyway, vaunted itself as 'a city on a hill', 'a light to the nations', if you will; the government of this nation has been turning towards empire-building for at least three-quarters of it's existence! As far back, I believe ( and any history buff may correct me ), as the early 1800s, the beginnings of this empire-building, this Roman idea of bringing democracy or peace to the rest of the world through any means necessary, was employed by the leaders of this 'city on a hill'!
It may be argued ( and quite well, in fact ) that at least the First Barbary War was unavoidable, and in fact justifiably necessary! The Second, though delayed by the War of 1812 ( also 'necessary' ) was a much shorter and decisive one that spelled the end of any tribute payments ( heretofore made ) to the Barbary Coast States, and did much to enhance the reputation of the United States Navy as a force to be reckoned with. I trust that this information is correct, but whatever the case may be, it is without doubt that, as far as ( proclaimed ) foreign wars go, this marked the beginning of the American Empire!
As time wore on, and America waxed in her power and ability to assert that power overseas, wars became almost a matter of fact! Though most often provoked, it seemed that the reason behind these wars grew less and less, and the provocation for them, greater and greater!
Though many of these battles ( wars ) for domination were fought overseas, there were battles fought as well, within the boundaries of North America. The Mexican-American War, fought in the mid to late 1840s, was fought as an almost direct result of our expansionist policies, in other words, our possession of the Republic of Texas. Again, this war was no doubt justifiably provoked. Though this war was a direct result of our expansionist policies, and succeeded quite well in that design, it was not without controversy and even some opposition from certain elements.
The Spanish-American War of the late 1800s may have been the first example of a war that the US got themselves into because of their interventionist policies! Although this conflict lasted less than three months, with the help of native revolutionaries, a decisive end was brought to this war, which also spelled the effective dominance and even end of the Spanish Empire! Following closely on the heels of this war came the little-known ( to me anyway ) Philippine-American War. This conflict came as a result of Philippino revolutionaries vying for native control and freedom from the Americans, to whom the Spanish Empire had ceded control after their defeat.
Doubtless, many more examples of needless foreign wars, either because of our interventionist or expansionist policies ( or both ), could be enumerated here, but I hope you're beginning to get the idea! It should be clear by now that war led to war, led to war, led to war!As the new super-power of the world, America, or the U.S, soon began to view themselves as 'a light on a hill', 'making the world safe for Democracy ( at the point of the sword )', or as I like to call them, 'world police'.
Although I'm sure that Abraham Lincoln had high hopes that this day would not come, he uttered this prophecy in truth. It is not from any outside force, though they are and will be involved, that our destruction is coming! It is a cancer that has corrupted the heart of good intentions that is eating this nation from the inside out! The damage has been done, the gauntlet has been thrown down, and when the smoke clears and the dust settles; America will not be as she once was. It may take up to a century ( like as not, much less ), but it is physically unavoidable!
Clearly, America as a nation, or more specifically, the U.S. Incorporated, has begun to falter! Writing on the 12th anniversary of 9-11, as I am, we should be reminded that, though the impetus for these attacks ( on the surface, anyway ) came from outside our national borders, two of the greatest monuments to our financial prowess came crashing down! 12 years later, and throughout those 12 years, look where we stand! We are in the midst of an already bankrupt economy, which is seemingly being held up by false hopes and digits on a computer screen.
Without even exploring the notion that the attacks of 9-11 occurred as the result of 'an inside job', or even going in over my head and discussing ( at length ) the coming financial ruin of America ( the longer we hold it back with a false economy, the worse it will be ), suffice to say that the U.S. Inc. will not be recognizable, if even in existence, when it's all said and done!
With all the 'doom & gloom', some may ( or have already turned to ) despair, but there is Hope for America! This Hope alone is to be found in a national repentance for all the atrocities ( such a the 'murder of the innocents' ) that have been perpetuated in this nation since it's inception, and a wholesale turning in obedience to our Creator, Almighty God! If this national repentance does occur, and I believe it will, although this will necessarily spell the end of the U.S. Inc; America, through much trial and tribulation, may be ( will be ) preserved!
Amen, May it Be!
Charles Haddon Shank
When America was founded, well over 200 years ago, depending on whose version of history you read, the founding fathers of this great nation, while being driven by more or less Christian principles, did not disallow for it to become an empire, much less one in direct opposition to their Creator and His Law. Even though our nation still is known in some circles as a 'Christian nation', and has, in the past anyway, vaunted itself as 'a city on a hill', 'a light to the nations', if you will; the government of this nation has been turning towards empire-building for at least three-quarters of it's existence! As far back, I believe ( and any history buff may correct me ), as the early 1800s, the beginnings of this empire-building, this Roman idea of bringing democracy or peace to the rest of the world through any means necessary, was employed by the leaders of this 'city on a hill'!
It may be argued ( and quite well, in fact ) that at least the First Barbary War was unavoidable, and in fact justifiably necessary! The Second, though delayed by the War of 1812 ( also 'necessary' ) was a much shorter and decisive one that spelled the end of any tribute payments ( heretofore made ) to the Barbary Coast States, and did much to enhance the reputation of the United States Navy as a force to be reckoned with. I trust that this information is correct, but whatever the case may be, it is without doubt that, as far as ( proclaimed ) foreign wars go, this marked the beginning of the American Empire!
As time wore on, and America waxed in her power and ability to assert that power overseas, wars became almost a matter of fact! Though most often provoked, it seemed that the reason behind these wars grew less and less, and the provocation for them, greater and greater!
Though many of these battles ( wars ) for domination were fought overseas, there were battles fought as well, within the boundaries of North America. The Mexican-American War, fought in the mid to late 1840s, was fought as an almost direct result of our expansionist policies, in other words, our possession of the Republic of Texas. Again, this war was no doubt justifiably provoked. Though this war was a direct result of our expansionist policies, and succeeded quite well in that design, it was not without controversy and even some opposition from certain elements.
The Spanish-American War of the late 1800s may have been the first example of a war that the US got themselves into because of their interventionist policies! Although this conflict lasted less than three months, with the help of native revolutionaries, a decisive end was brought to this war, which also spelled the effective dominance and even end of the Spanish Empire! Following closely on the heels of this war came the little-known ( to me anyway ) Philippine-American War. This conflict came as a result of Philippino revolutionaries vying for native control and freedom from the Americans, to whom the Spanish Empire had ceded control after their defeat.
Doubtless, many more examples of needless foreign wars, either because of our interventionist or expansionist policies ( or both ), could be enumerated here, but I hope you're beginning to get the idea! It should be clear by now that war led to war, led to war, led to war!As the new super-power of the world, America, or the U.S, soon began to view themselves as 'a light on a hill', 'making the world safe for Democracy ( at the point of the sword )', or as I like to call them, 'world police'.
America will never be destroyed from the outside.
If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln-1838
Although I'm sure that Abraham Lincoln had high hopes that this day would not come, he uttered this prophecy in truth. It is not from any outside force, though they are and will be involved, that our destruction is coming! It is a cancer that has corrupted the heart of good intentions that is eating this nation from the inside out! The damage has been done, the gauntlet has been thrown down, and when the smoke clears and the dust settles; America will not be as she once was. It may take up to a century ( like as not, much less ), but it is physically unavoidable!
Clearly, America as a nation, or more specifically, the U.S. Incorporated, has begun to falter! Writing on the 12th anniversary of 9-11, as I am, we should be reminded that, though the impetus for these attacks ( on the surface, anyway ) came from outside our national borders, two of the greatest monuments to our financial prowess came crashing down! 12 years later, and throughout those 12 years, look where we stand! We are in the midst of an already bankrupt economy, which is seemingly being held up by false hopes and digits on a computer screen.
Without even exploring the notion that the attacks of 9-11 occurred as the result of 'an inside job', or even going in over my head and discussing ( at length ) the coming financial ruin of America ( the longer we hold it back with a false economy, the worse it will be ), suffice to say that the U.S. Inc. will not be recognizable, if even in existence, when it's all said and done!
With all the 'doom & gloom', some may ( or have already turned to ) despair, but there is Hope for America! This Hope alone is to be found in a national repentance for all the atrocities ( such a the 'murder of the innocents' ) that have been perpetuated in this nation since it's inception, and a wholesale turning in obedience to our Creator, Almighty God! If this national repentance does occur, and I believe it will, although this will necessarily spell the end of the U.S. Inc; America, through much trial and tribulation, may be ( will be ) preserved!
Amen, May it Be!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, September 06, 2013
The Decline of Western Civilization, Part Two
Okay, let me get this straight; we're going to bomb Syria................because Syria bombed Syria?!
Really, how much sense does that make?!
Well, if you're in the know, and in the general context of our foreign policy for the last 2oo years, give or take, it makes all the sense in the world! The rulers of the American Empire seem to think that it is their duty to 'police' the world, to make it safe for democracy. This haughty attitude has engendered many unnecessary problems in the world at large, and has been the cause of much heartache and loss of lives ( 'Bring the Boys Home' ) here in America.
Beginning as much as two centuries ago, our Founding Fathers, and certain subsequent 'rulers' started out with what seemed like a good foreign policy; America was 'a city on a hill' to all the other nations! She was ordained ( of God? ) to shine the Light of Democracy into the farthest reaches and darkest corers of the world! She was, in essence, ( up till 1948, anyway ) the New Israel, to minister the Good News of Freedom to the nations who labored under tyranny and oppression!
Fast-forward to the present-day dilemma facing the 'powers that be'; to bomb or not to bomb, to stick our metaphorical nose in even farther where it does not belong! As was hinted at earlier, this is just the next logical step for a nation that has back-pedaled from being a bright and shining ( 'a thousand points of' ) light, to being hated by many nations for our often unwanted and always intrusive foreign policy!
The blame for much of what has gone wrong with our foreign policy, along with a host of other evils, can be laid almost wholly and squarely at the feet of the Church in America! When the first 'ruler' had a notion, however good and righteous it seemed, that we should be 'policing' the world, or even intervening in the affairs of nations outside our own borders ( we have enough to deal with here ), America's preachers should have been among the first to nix the whole idea! However, as it stands now, 'a silent pulpit is a complicit pulpit', and though She bears much of the blame, and more and more preachers, praise God, are waking up to this abominable fact, She is still, to a large extent, silent and complicit!
Much of the blame, I will admit, for the frightened silence of many of America's churches, can be brought right back around and laid at the feet of her secular 'rulers, those 'powers that be', as the mistakenly term them. Because the 'rulers & authorities' which the Church in America has allowed to gain sway have departed from the principles & precepts found in Scripture, and to some extent followed by our Founding Fathers; the Church, they have, through tyrannical oppression & subterfuge, put into effect their own corrupted and perverted system of checks & balances concerning the Church Herself!
It is not too late; in fact, it's never too late! America, and even the Church in America ( thank God? ) will never be the same, but the most awesome Creator of the universe is as immutable as He is powerful! What evil man has done and will yet do can never undo or even alter the eternally infinite and perfect Plan of our Almighty Father! There WILL be consequences, no mistake about that, but we can rest assured, that with all the machinations of man, and 'the evil that men do', nothing can interfere with Almighty God's plan for His Creation!
Let us rest in this joyous fact, not cowering in the safety of our 'bunkers by the River', but bravely, fearlessly, and joyfully shining the Light of God's Love and Kingdom, as 'a city on a hill'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Really, how much sense does that make?!
Well, if you're in the know, and in the general context of our foreign policy for the last 2oo years, give or take, it makes all the sense in the world! The rulers of the American Empire seem to think that it is their duty to 'police' the world, to make it safe for democracy. This haughty attitude has engendered many unnecessary problems in the world at large, and has been the cause of much heartache and loss of lives ( 'Bring the Boys Home' ) here in America.
Beginning as much as two centuries ago, our Founding Fathers, and certain subsequent 'rulers' started out with what seemed like a good foreign policy; America was 'a city on a hill' to all the other nations! She was ordained ( of God? ) to shine the Light of Democracy into the farthest reaches and darkest corers of the world! She was, in essence, ( up till 1948, anyway ) the New Israel, to minister the Good News of Freedom to the nations who labored under tyranny and oppression!
Fast-forward to the present-day dilemma facing the 'powers that be'; to bomb or not to bomb, to stick our metaphorical nose in even farther where it does not belong! As was hinted at earlier, this is just the next logical step for a nation that has back-pedaled from being a bright and shining ( 'a thousand points of' ) light, to being hated by many nations for our often unwanted and always intrusive foreign policy!
The blame for much of what has gone wrong with our foreign policy, along with a host of other evils, can be laid almost wholly and squarely at the feet of the Church in America! When the first 'ruler' had a notion, however good and righteous it seemed, that we should be 'policing' the world, or even intervening in the affairs of nations outside our own borders ( we have enough to deal with here ), America's preachers should have been among the first to nix the whole idea! However, as it stands now, 'a silent pulpit is a complicit pulpit', and though She bears much of the blame, and more and more preachers, praise God, are waking up to this abominable fact, She is still, to a large extent, silent and complicit!
Much of the blame, I will admit, for the frightened silence of many of America's churches, can be brought right back around and laid at the feet of her secular 'rulers, those 'powers that be', as the mistakenly term them. Because the 'rulers & authorities' which the Church in America has allowed to gain sway have departed from the principles & precepts found in Scripture, and to some extent followed by our Founding Fathers; the Church, they have, through tyrannical oppression & subterfuge, put into effect their own corrupted and perverted system of checks & balances concerning the Church Herself!
It is not too late; in fact, it's never too late! America, and even the Church in America ( thank God? ) will never be the same, but the most awesome Creator of the universe is as immutable as He is powerful! What evil man has done and will yet do can never undo or even alter the eternally infinite and perfect Plan of our Almighty Father! There WILL be consequences, no mistake about that, but we can rest assured, that with all the machinations of man, and 'the evil that men do', nothing can interfere with Almighty God's plan for His Creation!
Let us rest in this joyous fact, not cowering in the safety of our 'bunkers by the River', but bravely, fearlessly, and joyfully shining the Light of God's Love and Kingdom, as 'a city on a hill'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
If you are at all familiar with the traditional 'Lord's Prayer', you should recognize this phrase as one of the final phrases in this prayer, and the final request. No doubt this prayer, as taught by our Lord Jesus to His disciples had more of an immediate significance to them, eschatologically speaking, but I believe that we might as easily 'voice' this prayer today.
As we struggle with temptations ( of all kinds ) daily, even though we are the New Temple of God, and bask in His Presence every day; we ought to realize that, though our conscience has been cleansed, we still deal with those who may yet live under the shackles of Law ( or so they may believe ), not to mention the fact that though we are a ( made ) new creation, the Body of Christ, and The Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are still human beings, with natural inclinations ( desires ), not altogether a bad thing!
Our prayer might better be directed toward our mothers, brothers and sisters today, for we are the Body of Christ! Physically speaking ( please don't get me wrong; I am not discounting the Spiritual ), it is to each other that we should direct our prayer, for although, as James said, it is from within that these ( evil ) desires come, if there is no object for that desire, there can be no ( evil ) desire. This is not to say that all desire is wrong ( evil ), but more often than not, desire is based on feelings ( still not altogether a bad thing ), and when those feelings change, which they most often do, at some point, and to whatever extent, the desire changes! As our desires change, our relationships often suffer, because they are ultimately based on feelings!
Feelings are not altogether a bad thing either; God gave them to us! They are one of the five physical senses that He built into us, as well as being a sort of sixth sense, spiritually speaking, which enables us, in our spirit, to know certain things which may not be ascertainable to the physical senses! If we are led by the Holy Spirit of God that is within us, our feelings should relate to us the sense that certain natural tendencies are wrong, while certain others are right and good.
Too often, and sometimes without realizing it, we tend to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation, either by our words, actions or both. If we dress a certain way or act in a certain manner toward others, the other person may perceive the wrong message and act, or react rather, in a way that is not pleasing in God's sight, or in the sight of His People! Even in these situations, it is not so much the actions of the first person that are wrong, but in the reaction of the second. Even so, we should heed this injunction to the Body of Christ, and do our best not to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation!
Being the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit that we are, we still have those human tendencies, which can lead us either way! This is where necessary Communion with the Body of Christ comes in; when we stay in Fellowship with the Light, it becomes easier to overcome those ( wrong ) tendencies. Not all physical tendencies are wrong ( in fact, many are good and right altogether ), and as we are strengthened by that necessary Communion, our tendencies will lead us more into the realm of Right, rather than Wrong, God, as opposed to Evil!
This is not, as I must declare always, to discount the infinitely powerful work of the Holy Spirit, but more often than not I believe, God works through His People to accomplish His Will! In all things, and in all ways, His Will, His Purpose is accomplished, and so I agree with the musical artist, Jewel; 'We are Gad's Hands'!
Charles Haddon Shank
As we struggle with temptations ( of all kinds ) daily, even though we are the New Temple of God, and bask in His Presence every day; we ought to realize that, though our conscience has been cleansed, we still deal with those who may yet live under the shackles of Law ( or so they may believe ), not to mention the fact that though we are a ( made ) new creation, the Body of Christ, and The Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are still human beings, with natural inclinations ( desires ), not altogether a bad thing!
Our prayer might better be directed toward our mothers, brothers and sisters today, for we are the Body of Christ! Physically speaking ( please don't get me wrong; I am not discounting the Spiritual ), it is to each other that we should direct our prayer, for although, as James said, it is from within that these ( evil ) desires come, if there is no object for that desire, there can be no ( evil ) desire. This is not to say that all desire is wrong ( evil ), but more often than not, desire is based on feelings ( still not altogether a bad thing ), and when those feelings change, which they most often do, at some point, and to whatever extent, the desire changes! As our desires change, our relationships often suffer, because they are ultimately based on feelings!
Feelings are not altogether a bad thing either; God gave them to us! They are one of the five physical senses that He built into us, as well as being a sort of sixth sense, spiritually speaking, which enables us, in our spirit, to know certain things which may not be ascertainable to the physical senses! If we are led by the Holy Spirit of God that is within us, our feelings should relate to us the sense that certain natural tendencies are wrong, while certain others are right and good.
Too often, and sometimes without realizing it, we tend to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation, either by our words, actions or both. If we dress a certain way or act in a certain manner toward others, the other person may perceive the wrong message and act, or react rather, in a way that is not pleasing in God's sight, or in the sight of His People! Even in these situations, it is not so much the actions of the first person that are wrong, but in the reaction of the second. Even so, we should heed this injunction to the Body of Christ, and do our best not to lead our brother, sister, father or mother into temptation!
Being the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit that we are, we still have those human tendencies, which can lead us either way! This is where necessary Communion with the Body of Christ comes in; when we stay in Fellowship with the Light, it becomes easier to overcome those ( wrong ) tendencies. Not all physical tendencies are wrong ( in fact, many are good and right altogether ), and as we are strengthened by that necessary Communion, our tendencies will lead us more into the realm of Right, rather than Wrong, God, as opposed to Evil!
This is not, as I must declare always, to discount the infinitely powerful work of the Holy Spirit, but more often than not I believe, God works through His People to accomplish His Will! In all things, and in all ways, His Will, His Purpose is accomplished, and so I agree with the musical artist, Jewel; 'We are Gad's Hands'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, August 23, 2013
A Living Law
'There is a Law for God's people'!
You may have heard that the Law ( yes, the so-called Mosaic Law ) was abrogated at the cross, when, as Scripture says, 'having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.......He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross' ( Colossians 2:14 ), but Jesus said, 'Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill' ( Matthew 5:17 ). The apostle Paul also wrote in another place, 'Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.' ( Romans 13:10 ) So, was the Law abrogated, put aside, and ended, or was it the Mosaic Code, or contract that passed away?
In a recent post, I pondered shortly the notion that the written code given to Moses on Mt. Sinai was a contract, rather than, as it has been traditionally ( orthodoxically ) viewed, a covenant. The Ten Commandment, as summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, although given through Moses, and thus seen to be a part of the so-called Mosaic Law, ought more correctly to be seen as God's Law, or the Law of Love. The 613 some odd 'commandments' or stipulations given in the Mosaic ( written ) Code should be viewed simply as terms of a contract, which conditions to these terms are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 and surrounding.
This contract, as also discussed previously, and by more learned men, might better be viewed, also in opposition to traditional orthodoxy, as a betrothal contract, or covenant. You may remember that, in a previous post on this subject, that I discussed the differences and similarities concerning contracts and covenants. A contract may be given as part of a covenant, but as a contract may involve, for instance, the building of a house, when the house has been built, the contact has been thus fulfilled and necessarily comes to an end, whereas if the contract is based in relationship, which may continue, it is seen to have simply part of a covenant. So with the Mosaic Code, or contract; as simply a part of the greater Covenant that God formed ( 'In the beginning' ) with His people, it was given as a betrothal contract of sorts, wherein God said, 'if you will keep my Law, at the consummation of the ages, I will come in to you and you will be My people ( Wife ) and I will be your God ( Husband )', and they lived happily ever after!
This Law of which we speak, better known maybe, as the Law of Love, the Law of God, may be seen to have been personified in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 'God is Love' is a familiar and most famous and well-known fact; the Son of God was sent, not only to fulfill ( fill up ) the Law, but to become the Fulfillment of the Law, thus God, being Love, is also, by extension, the Law Himself!
I have reasoned previously that, as any earthly father; God has given His children a set of natural laws to live by, if we are to enjoy the blessing of His Presence!
Not only do we have this natural law of sowing and reaping to think about, when we fail to keep the Law of Love as we should, there are also blessings and cursings involved. If we love our Father, and our neighbor ( brother, sister, mother ) as yourself, we reap the blessing of Joy in the Presence of God, but if we fail to love as we aught ( and we all fail at times ), we experience the ( cursed ) loss of that necessary communion with our Father, and so live a cursed existence until such time as we return to that communion where we can enjoy the blessings of His Presence!
This is not to say that when we ( ourselves ) fail to love as we aught, that we are cursed forever. Since God sent His Love to dwell in us, that is, in His New Temple, we are thus filled with the Love of God, and because He is faithful, even though we are not always, His Love trumps our lack of love; Love wins!
Through the Fulfillment ( again, 'filling up' ) of His own Law; God has shown Himself to be a Living Law, One that is unchangeable, inscribed indelibly on our 'hearts', not just engraved in stone or written on papyrus!
As we continue to 'fill up' this Law of Love', let us always remember, that even though we fail in our labors of Love, it is His Faithfulness that guarantees us a seat at His table and a place in His Holy Family!
Even so let us strive to love as we are loved, and live in the Law that gives Life!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
In a recent post, I pondered shortly the notion that the written code given to Moses on Mt. Sinai was a contract, rather than, as it has been traditionally ( orthodoxically ) viewed, a covenant. The Ten Commandment, as summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, although given through Moses, and thus seen to be a part of the so-called Mosaic Law, ought more correctly to be seen as God's Law, or the Law of Love. The 613 some odd 'commandments' or stipulations given in the Mosaic ( written ) Code should be viewed simply as terms of a contract, which conditions to these terms are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 and surrounding.
This contract, as also discussed previously, and by more learned men, might better be viewed, also in opposition to traditional orthodoxy, as a betrothal contract, or covenant. You may remember that, in a previous post on this subject, that I discussed the differences and similarities concerning contracts and covenants. A contract may be given as part of a covenant, but as a contract may involve, for instance, the building of a house, when the house has been built, the contact has been thus fulfilled and necessarily comes to an end, whereas if the contract is based in relationship, which may continue, it is seen to have simply part of a covenant. So with the Mosaic Code, or contract; as simply a part of the greater Covenant that God formed ( 'In the beginning' ) with His people, it was given as a betrothal contract of sorts, wherein God said, 'if you will keep my Law, at the consummation of the ages, I will come in to you and you will be My people ( Wife ) and I will be your God ( Husband )', and they lived happily ever after!
This Law of which we speak, better known maybe, as the Law of Love, the Law of God, may be seen to have been personified in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 'God is Love' is a familiar and most famous and well-known fact; the Son of God was sent, not only to fulfill ( fill up ) the Law, but to become the Fulfillment of the Law, thus God, being Love, is also, by extension, the Law Himself!
I have reasoned previously that, as any earthly father; God has given His children a set of natural laws to live by, if we are to enjoy the blessing of His Presence!
Not only do we have this natural law of sowing and reaping to think about, when we fail to keep the Law of Love as we should, there are also blessings and cursings involved. If we love our Father, and our neighbor ( brother, sister, mother ) as yourself, we reap the blessing of Joy in the Presence of God, but if we fail to love as we aught ( and we all fail at times ), we experience the ( cursed ) loss of that necessary communion with our Father, and so live a cursed existence until such time as we return to that communion where we can enjoy the blessings of His Presence!
This is not to say that when we ( ourselves ) fail to love as we aught, that we are cursed forever. Since God sent His Love to dwell in us, that is, in His New Temple, we are thus filled with the Love of God, and because He is faithful, even though we are not always, His Love trumps our lack of love; Love wins!
Through the Fulfillment ( again, 'filling up' ) of His own Law; God has shown Himself to be a Living Law, One that is unchangeable, inscribed indelibly on our 'hearts', not just engraved in stone or written on papyrus!
As we continue to 'fill up' this Law of Love', let us always remember, that even though we fail in our labors of Love, it is His Faithfulness that guarantees us a seat at His table and a place in His Holy Family!
Even so let us strive to love as we are loved, and live in the Law that gives Life!
Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Beautiful Lies?
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles,
or causes[o] an abomination or a lie,
but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 21:27
Utopia is a beautiful dream, but is it any more than that? John is describing one of the many facets of the New Jerusalem above, or, as some might term it, 'heaven'. If 'Heaven' is indeed a place where the 'wolf' will literally lay down with the 'lamb', and the 'lion' will literally feed alongside the 'ox', then maybe we are waiting, futuristically, for some far-off utopian landscape as John seemingly describes above.
Any simple Google search using terms like 'lion with lamb' ( which is based on a faulty tradition ) or even 'wolf with lamb' will likely reveal at least one story or video about unusually friendly animals cavorting together that are traditionally at enmity with each other, or at least are thought to be. Is this simply a preview of 'Heaven', a foretaste of what things will be like when Jesus finally comes back, burns up the earth ( including its periodic table ) with unquenchable fire, and ushers in 'the new heavens, and new earth'? Or is this merely the result of the peace that the Presence of God brings? Is this simply one of the many facets of the concord that we so fondly refer to as 'Heaven'?
To imagine a world without physical, mental, or emotional disability, especially for those like myself, is a pipe-dream; as the saying goes, 'wouldn't it be lovely?' Yes, that would be lovely; no more being carried like a back-pack around 'the Kitchen Sink', no more having to refrain from certain activities because my body just won't keep up with my mind, no more carrying a cane everywhere I go, and etc., but that's just me!
It has been said, and said often and truly, that the Book of the Revelation borrows more heavily on Old Testament history than any other book in the New Testament. This is not as clear as it should be to the casual observer, especially those who tend to disregard the Old Testament, except maybe the Psalms and Proverbs. When read in the context of the Hebrew Scriptures though, and even part of the Greek, it is easy to ascertain the truth of this statement. For instance, by reading the prophecies of Ezekiel and Hosea, we can easily ascertain to 'whom' John is referring when he mentions 'the great harlot'. When we read of the 'beast' of Revelation, especially the many-faceted one in Revelation 13, all we need to do is read the prophecy of Daniel ( and even Ezekiel ) to see where John got his 'picturesque' story from. There is truly, 'nothing new under the sun'!
No more shall an infant from there [ live but a few ] days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner [ being ] one hundred years old shall be accursed.
Isaiah 65:20
In the first few verses of Revelation 21, John seems to describe a utopian Paradise, an almost unearthly ( although hauntingly familiar ) dream-scape, but when in the context of like passages above, we can see that this is speaking of a present situation, though maybe future to the original audience.
In the modern evangelical church, this lie, among others, has been propagated out of mostly pure ignorance, though in many cases, it is purposeful ignorance, for whatever reason. Even though these lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven', may convey beautiful pictures to our naturally speculative minds, they are what they are, and not being defensible, in all honesty, from Scripture! As lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven' ( and related doctrines ), they may seem harmless enough, but they really are not!
Pretty obviously, at least, in the more traditional version, if 'Heaven' is a place that is often termed 'Utopia', or even 'Paradise', then futurism is right, and we have it to look forward to upon physical death ( depending on which version you ascribe to ), or at the return of Christ, which Scripture says has already happened! If one lives according to their belief that Heaven is a place that we only look forward to, then that one will naturally focus one's efforts on going there when one dies, instead of building God's Kingdom on Earth, as He instructed His disciples to do in the first century AD! Remember too, that Jesus told those same disciples, in the first century, that His Kingdom ( 'Heaven'? ) was near! If we do not understand this aspect of the Story, we will miss many other statements that Jesus made, and the many allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures that He, as well as the apostles, made!
Beauty, as Truth, is absolute! Either something is beautiful, or it's not! In some relative sense, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', yes; one man might see beauty in a certain woman or thing while another may not. The beauty cannot be seen though, if it is not there! If one man sees it and the other does not, the other is necessarily deluded; the thing he beholds is beautiful, but he has been blinded to it's beauty! So it is with Truth; if a lie is taught long enough, and seems to be beautiful enough, it will be believed as truth! Beautiful as it may seem, though, 'Heaven', at least as we have traditionally been taught it, is a lie!
What is truly beautiful, though, is that God has made His people ( on Earth ) His New Temple, or dwelling place, and that is Heaven! It is the enduring Presence of God which is truly and absolutely beautiful, and this is what Scripture actually teaches!
Let us rest in this Truth, while doing our best to build up in His Kingdom of Beauty!
Charles Haddon Shank
In the modern evangelical church, this lie, among others, has been propagated out of mostly pure ignorance, though in many cases, it is purposeful ignorance, for whatever reason. Even though these lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven', may convey beautiful pictures to our naturally speculative minds, they are what they are, and not being defensible, in all honesty, from Scripture! As lies, especially in the case of 'Heaven' ( and related doctrines ), they may seem harmless enough, but they really are not!
Pretty obviously, at least, in the more traditional version, if 'Heaven' is a place that is often termed 'Utopia', or even 'Paradise', then futurism is right, and we have it to look forward to upon physical death ( depending on which version you ascribe to ), or at the return of Christ, which Scripture says has already happened! If one lives according to their belief that Heaven is a place that we only look forward to, then that one will naturally focus one's efforts on going there when one dies, instead of building God's Kingdom on Earth, as He instructed His disciples to do in the first century AD! Remember too, that Jesus told those same disciples, in the first century, that His Kingdom ( 'Heaven'? ) was near! If we do not understand this aspect of the Story, we will miss many other statements that Jesus made, and the many allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures that He, as well as the apostles, made!
Beauty, as Truth, is absolute! Either something is beautiful, or it's not! In some relative sense, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', yes; one man might see beauty in a certain woman or thing while another may not. The beauty cannot be seen though, if it is not there! If one man sees it and the other does not, the other is necessarily deluded; the thing he beholds is beautiful, but he has been blinded to it's beauty! So it is with Truth; if a lie is taught long enough, and seems to be beautiful enough, it will be believed as truth! Beautiful as it may seem, though, 'Heaven', at least as we have traditionally been taught it, is a lie!
What is truly beautiful, though, is that God has made His people ( on Earth ) His New Temple, or dwelling place, and that is Heaven! It is the enduring Presence of God which is truly and absolutely beautiful, and this is what Scripture actually teaches!
Let us rest in this Truth, while doing our best to build up in His Kingdom of Beauty!
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, August 19, 2013
The Stewardship of Creation
baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
( Matthew 28:19 )
We have a problem here in Whitehall! Our church parking lot is normally open to the public throughout the week, but on Sundays, we close the lot to all but our congregation. We even have a sign posted to this effect but people seem to just ignore the sign!
The verse above has been traditionally understood as an imperative to overwhelm with water any new convert to the Gospel that we disciple, or lead to a saving knowledge of our Lord. To be honest, though, this verse doesn't have anything at all to say about dipping them in water, or even just pouring water on them ceremoniously, much less repeating the action multiple times while muttering some mysterious catch-phrase.
When Jesus reminded His disciples, in Luke 12:50, that He was soon to be baptized ( leading to the demise of His fleshly body ), He did not mean to say that He was about to drown ( except maybe in His sorrows-Psalm 18:5 ), but that He was about to go through an ordeal that no mere man could persist through! He was ready to lay down His life for His Friends!
To baptize, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, means simply to whelm, whether it be with water, with the Word ( of God-Ephesians 5:26 ), or by 'fire' ( Matthew 3:11 ). It is with this 'Fire' that we deal today! Our lot, as our lives, is not our own, but belongs to our Lord, Jesus who became the Christ! He is the 'fire' with which violators will be baptized!
'Oh sure', you might say, 'just because I park my car here when the law ( sign ) says not to; God's going to rain down fire from 'Heaven'? 'I don't think so'! Well, no, your car probably will not be instantly vaporized by a giant fire ball if you don't obey our law ( although, this is not outside the realm of possibility ), but when you disregard God's Law, or even the just laws of His People, it's going to catch up to you someday, and probably sooner rather than later!
This is not to threaten, but to remind any violator that ignorance, purposeful or otherwise, will not be disregarded. We recognize, as the Body of Christ, that we are given the stewardship of His Creation, even if we've turned it into a parking lot; it's still His! We are His, and all that we have is His!
As His Steward,
Charles Haddon Shank
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)