Mandated Reporter

Because men have rejected the judgment of God, they have become superior hypocrites. It seems that everyone nowadays is a "mandated reporter". This means that bus drivers, fire fighters, traffic cops, nurses, and maybe street cleaners, are mandated by law to report abuse, neglect and anything else they think may be going on.

In one case, a woman in a wheelchair not able to keep herself clean is reported by the bus driver to an agency that collects tax money to help her, then they help the apartment manager kick her out of her apartment because they were unable to "rehabilitate" her. She is now on the streets, left to herself because she's run out of mandated reporters.

Whether or not I'm a "mandated reporter", I see people in their real lives out on the city streets. There they cannot hide from me. I tell them that if they do not repent and believe the gospel, they will surely go to hell. Many of them are Christians. Most of these hate that I am spoiling their date. Instead of stopping and thanking me for warning sinners of the judgment to come, they try to remain hidden under the guise of Christianity and say, "I'm already saved". Don't bother me therefore. Some of them even argue with us, telling us that our methods are not effective.

And, I report them to God. I also report them to whoever wants to listen. It is important to separate oneself from such hypocrites, because a little leaven leavens the whole lump, I heard Paul say. I watch as the homeless ply them for money, but the elite believer pushes his or her way through the riffraff to get into the door of their favorite haunt. But, they can't get away from my voice.

So they report me to the police, these good Christians. Unfortunately for them, this country founded by Christians escaping from religious tyranny made it a Constitutional right for me to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. So the police end up having to obey the law themselves. But it won't be long until all these good Christians warmed by the false churches will once again shut down the gospel in the name of love or some other buzz word they have perverted.

They will stand before the judgment seat of God, which they do not believe will happen to them, and give an account of everything they have done in their bodies, whether good or bad. Those of them who were "mandated reporters" will suffer the greater punishment because they were hypocrites judging others and turning them over to the authorities. Of course, it is the church's fault for not doing anything to help the crippled and the poor. They have their luxurious sanctuaries. And, they can always "relax the unrepentant to the authorities" (as the Roman Church did in order to have the secular government torture and kill dissenters).

Mandated reporters will someday be turning in large numbers of real Christians to the state, saying they spread hate and threaten people (they already do but they have no teeth yet). In the meantime, the false brethren sit around enjoying their leisure of easy-believism thinking they will escape the wrath to come. I am reporting them to God and to you.

Chris Simonson - 1/30/2008

They Sit in Moses´ Seat... (They Think)

Gentiles have taken over the place of the "chosen ones" and so must also take over the spot where the scribes and Pharisees used to sit. Unlike the scribes and the Pharisees, these hypocrites seldom refer to the law of Moses, but to an institutionalized form of Christianity called "going to church."

Whereas the Bible nowhere commands going to a building erected for the purpose of performing religious functions (oh, did I forget the Temple in Jerusalem that no longer exists?), it seems that religious Christians must go to a semi-synagogue called a "church" in order to have right standing with God. The Jewish synagogue was a structure much like those built by other religions in which the national religion was represented by a localized edifice to make sure that other religions did not proliferate in that area. In confused areas, such as Jerusalem, we see a Muslim shrine replacing the Temple and that should tell us all we need to know about religious edifices.

The modern-day new wave popes, each with his or her own church, sit and judge the common folks as having little or no hope unless they "belong to a fellowship," or "meet regularly at a place of worship," or "go to church." They can´t help but sneer at those who have been forced to meet apart from these churches in order to exercise their God-given gifts. Oh, they will let them come and "worship" with them if they remain silent and do not teach, an admonition given for women but used against men. As long as they sit there silent and let the "pastor" give the sermon, the "deacons" collect the money for it, and the "worship team" feed them spiritual songs, they will be "accepted."

I reject all that.  When the pastor tells me, "You will never grow until you join a fellowship," that means that I will always be a second-rate Christian until I join a church. In my book... that means that 'I´m carnal'. The pastor has his own church separate from the other churches in the area, teaches a form of Christianity that is shaky (Pentecostalism), his wife co-pastors and takes over the services, the parishioners are involved with all sorts of shady business ventures (or don´t work at all), etc., etc. Now this all sounds slightly carnal to me.

Don´t get me wrong. I would gladly attend his church if he would let me exercise my gift of "telling it like it is." But he won´t (proven many times). If I meet him on the street, he will smile and hug, share a few verses he has memorized, ask a few questions about my general welfare, and invite me to church. Until next time, we´re done, he´s got more important things to do than converse with the likes of me (unless I attend his church, remain silent, and pay up, of course).

Sound familiar?  They sit in Moses' seat... they think. As Jesus said, 'do as they say but not as they d'o'.

Chris Simonson - 1/29/2008

"I apologize, and I really mean it this time..."

We have all heard many apologies, whether big or small, passionate or flippant. If we are human, we have all given them at one time or another; some we meant, some we didn't. Apologies have become as common as "Thank you.", or "Good night."; as abundant as greasy fries at a fast-food drive-thru.

In order to conceptualize the act of apologizing, one must understand the action of salvation:

If I have sinned against my brother I must go to him and apologize; if my brother has sinned against me I must forgive him as my Lord has forgiven me.

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca', is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,  24. leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Mathew 5:24-25

What does it mean to apologize? How do I reconcile with my brother?

Literally, an apology is made up of three parts:

• 1. An acknowledgment of sin - Psalms 32:5 Matt. 5:23 “remember that your brother has something against you”
• 2. With an expression of regret, contrition or repentance - 2 Corinthians 2:7 Matt. 5:24 “First, go...”
• 3. And a plea for reconciliation - Matthew 5:24 “and be reconciled to your brother.”

The Scriptures command, in the above verses in Matthew, to be reconciled with your brother whom has aught against you; there is, however, a common deception in today’s modern Christianity concerning this very subject: it denotes that one may use the act of apologizing as the reconciling tool to "smooth things over". It is not that the apology itself is wrong, but if I say that what I did was wrong, I had better believe that I did such a thing and that it was indeed wrong, that I am not simply patronizing the other party with a condescending “apology”.

What is a false apology? Unlike the true apology, the false “apology” is best described as a sort of ‘social gratuity’; it is not given out of true contrition, nor the stirring to make things right, but out of obligation or for the sake of “let’s all just say what we have to in order to get along.”

It is, in truth, a lie... given for the desperate appeasement of formulaic attempts to reconcile, spawned from the fear of man and the preservation of one's appearance.

In direct contrast, the true apology leads to the edification of the Body of Christ and demonstrates the power and work of the Gospel in a true believer's life.

So, let us examine ourselves, to make sure that we have chosen true humility through the work of Christ, that we do indeed mean what we say when we apologize and that we are really attempting to restore that which was broken by our sin.

Steven Styles - 1/28/2008

Adultery

Adultery is defined as voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than the spouse. But, it´s not that cut-and-dried. It is passionate, and that´s what makes it so alluring. Adulterers are not just sexual deviants; they are lonely, loving, caring persons... if we are to believe the want ads. Oh yes, and millions of them are Christians. If adulterers are not going to inherit the kingdom of God (and they aren´t), then you would think Christians would think twice about committing adultery, and they do. They think long and hard about it, then they go ahead and have sex with someone else than their spouse.

If they go to church, and most of them do, Christian adulterers have to deal with church teachings about adultery. Most of them figure out how to fit adultery into their lifestyles and continue on with their religious traditions. Usually, this consists of divorcing the spouse and remarrying. The church used to be vehemently against this sort of whitewashing of sin because it knew that it would become rampant if the church did nothing about it. They were correct, of course, and so the church has become polluted with a variety of adultery based on pastors marrying and remarrying adulterous couples.

The root cause of adultery is the root cause of everything: Covetousness. The 10th Commandment says we should not covet our neighbor's wife. If our spouse does not satisfy us, then we find satisfaction somewhere else. This sort of behavior is vehemently condemned by God, but the world calls this sort of desire "love." And, lately, so does the church.  Well did the prophets warn that men would call evil "good," and good "evil." 

Adultery starts in the heart. That is why Jesus said what he said about desiring another woman is tantamount to committing adultery in the heart. The rest proceeds from there.  The physical act of adultery will be judged by a righteous God who hates sin. Adultery is always the first named sin on the list of no-no's. This is because it violates a sacred trust between a man and his wife, and thus violates the sacred trust between a man and his God.  We are to keep our bodies pure and hold them in honor, bodies which God has given us to glorify Jesus Christ. As Paul said, "The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord."

We all know what causes adultery. It feels so good to be with another person who loves you (or at least pretends for a while). But, if that woman is not your lawfully wedded wife, sir; or if that man is not your lawfully wedded husband, ma´am; then you are committing adultery and you will be judged as an adulterer. Churches used to preach against this stuff, and that´s what made Sundays rough on the wicked. Now the pastors wed the adulterous couples (for money, of course) and think nothing of it. 

I realize that many Christians have committed adultery and have remarried.  I also realize it is more honorable to divorce your wife or husband and marry a divorced wife or husband than it is to carry on an "affair." But let´s not fool ourselves: God will judge both cases. 

Repentance is necessary. A remarried couple should not divorce, because that is further sin.  If the man and his wife both feel a twinge of conscience, they should both humble themselves and seek God´s forgiveness, taking special care not to harden their hearts on this matter. If only one of them cares about his service to God, this may cause the spouse to leave. So be it. But no further divorce or remarriage should take place, as this will not sit well with God.

This is why Paul says that if a Christian woman leaves her husband, she should not remarry.  And the man is not to divorce her for it. Sounds like a tremendous load, especially in these times of adultery running rampant in our churches, but the reward is there for those who do not defile themselves seeking their own pleasures.

Repentance is always necessary for salvation. If we have faith, we will repent. If we mock God by carrying on in adultery, know this: God is not mocked. Whatever a person sows he will reap. If he sows to his flesh, he will reap corruption, but if he sows to the Spirit, he will reap eternal life. Adultery is bad news; the forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ is good news.

Chris Simonson - 1/24/2008

Sorrow That Leads To Life

If we are going to understand depression, we must know that there is a sorrow that spirals downward until it drags us to the very depths of hell. This is not the kind of sorrow we want. Judas Iscariot had this kind of sorrow and so did Esau. It didn´t help them any. So when we treat the subject of depression, let us distinguish between a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and life, versus a devilish sorrow that leads to captivity and eventually death.

The sorrow that leads to life cannot be distinguished from the sorrow that leads to death, if we rely on our own reasoning powers. This is called the "mind of the flesh" by Paul. The mind of the flesh causes depression, insanity, envy, paranoia, etc., in the first place. Those who "mind the things of the flesh" will not inherit the kingdom of God. They lead lives of "quiet desperation," shuffling down the path that leads to death.  It´s like they know all their accomplishments will all go away once they die.  Their heart is failing, and this causes a sorrow that cannot be dealt with.

It is the heart of man that leads him into depression in the first place. A heart of stone keeps a man from his God. He may try to reach God (or put Him out of his mind) by various methods, seeking relief from the anguish of depression. The sorrow that leads to death keeps a person from changing his heart towards the things of the true God. He remains in his sin (disobedience) even though he may do many outward works in an effort to compensate for it. But, God knows the hearts. God will do everything He can to get a sinner to repent, but if the sinner continues in his self-justification and his self-righteousness, only the gloom of eternal Hades awaits.

For the repentant: Break forth into singing! The night has passed and we made it! The sun is dawning and we feel the dark cold world fleeing before it! We shall see God face to face without dying because we have been conformed to the image of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us distinguish between the sorrow that leads to death and the sorrow that leads to life.  We can, if we seek eternal life by keeping the commandments of God (Romans 2:7-10). But if we remain rebellious, then a horrible death awaits (Romans 2:7-10).

The commandments of God are not sorrowful even though our flesh thinks so. They are not the "Ten Commandments" but more. They are commands to have faith and believe the truth about God´s love. Jesus Christ is God´s only Son. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. All other ways lead to hell. This is the true God and eternal life, which if a man believes, will lead to love and life... and lead out of depression.

Chris Simonson - 1/23/2008

The Abundant Life

Many have come with methods for obtaining “the abundant life” promised by Christ to those who really believe. Glowing testimonials accompany the salesmen of seventh heaven. An over-stimulated generation seeks after a new experience, and these promoters of Christ as the ultimate satisfaction of this life are completely opposed to the gospel Jesus Christ preached.

We are each of us at a crossroads. This intersection has a way that says, “Come over here where we are happy and full of goods! We have the gospel that gives us riches and pleasure in this life. We are happy, sublime and smug. Come with us and experience joy! Don’t worry about all those self-denial things that are legalistic. Look at our faces! We are happy, happy, happy.” Now if we look at the fruit of their happiness, we see despair, sickness, fear – all the things they claim to be freed from. So we see another gospel – a lying spirit.

Another direction at the crossroads goes to a place that leads to a cross. Jesus is there. And those who go that way must bear a cross. He says to them, “I am with you, even to the end of the world.” And sure enough, we see Jesus. He is the suffering Savior, not like the slick salesmen who promise freedom but place men into bondage of lasciviousness and covetousness, with which this present world
abounds.

If we want the abundant life, we have to lose our lives. This will not seem very blissful to the flesh, or to the complacent hoards around us who seek pleasure in this life. It will seem a contradiction, to have life we must lose our life. But Jesus will be with us, and that will be the abundant life. There is no other.

Chris Simonson - 1/22/2008

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks..."

SAN FRANCISCO - In Tara Guber's ideal world, American children would meditate in the lotus position and chant in Sanskrit before taking stressful standardized tests.

So starts the AP article of 1/28/07.

The article is about Christian fundamentalists protesting the teaching of yoga in a public elementary school in Aspen, Colorado. They argue that yoga's Hindu roots conflict with separation of church and state. As we read the article, we are impressed with Tara Guber's craftiness in re-labeling Hindu pagan practices to get around separation of church and state. The federal government seems to be convinced. According to the article, it gives grants to gym teachers who complete a teacher training course in yoga.

Yoga teaching got big somewhere in the late 1960´s and early `70´s, as the hippie movement wiped out western morality and ethics. Substituting chanting and meditation for prayers to God, and yoga positions and body awareness for obedience to God, it became a method to ease the guilty conscience of wicked men and women.

Now, many Christians practice yoga and see no conflict between their belief system and breathing exercises and body postures. These same Christians practice martial arts, transcendental meditation or whatever else appeals to their carnal natures. They are sure to go to church regularly and place Christian placards and pictures of Jesus around the home. But they disobey their God by worshiping according to heathen religions.

We should not target the public schools. The government is not the target. Neither is Tara Guber. The church that calls itself after the name of Jesus Christ should be our target. We must purge out the leaven of insincerity and bring in the proper worship of God that cleanses our hearts and minds. Cheap grace that allows false teachings and practices in our midst needs to be rooted out and destroyed.

We don't have to picket abortion clinics. homosexual parades, porno houses and bars. But we do need to picket our godless pastors who pick our pockets in the name of love. Like Tara Guber, they re-label things to sound fun and happy, while they strip the meaning from the words. Words like Jesus, grace, love, faith, sin, etc., are twisted to mean something other than the time-honored teaching of the Reformation church (the Catholics are excluded because their religion is based on re-labeling everything).

It's time to wake up! There is nothing wrong with exercise, but if it hinders your walk with God, the Bible says to mortify by the Holy Spirit your flesh, until you repent of your self-serving attention to your carnal body and exercise yourself rather unto godliness. It doesn't matter whether it's yoga or "Christian workout music": we are deceived if we think there is no conflict between our actions and our belief system.

Chris Simonson - 1/21/2008

The Antithesis of Grace

The seeker-sensitive movement and most 'progressive' modern congregations would unequivocally agree with such opinions as these, regarding preaching the Gospel: ‘Don’t warn them about Hell, or the wrath of God’, ‘Just let your light shine’, etc. However, these sentiments smack in the face of Biblical hermeneutics, reformers such as Martin Luther, great preachers like Spurgeon and Jonathan Edwards, whom stress warning the lost of Hell as an essential component of Grace through Faith.

This newer, overbearing doctrine is but a slice of modern church corruption; no personal offense intended, but I feel these seeker-sensitive teachings are schismatic and have been one of the chief offenders of causing corruption in the Body of Christ, thus making gain of the sheep. It turns the Grace of our Lord Jesus into lasciviousness, telling the lost that they can come to Christ via taking the term "saved" and disconnecting it from the eternal wrath of God that will be poured on them if they reject Christ, the only way of salvation; this in turn creates ‘churches’ full of false converts, whom are ready and willing to pay tithes, like buying indulgences. This is the antithesis of Grace.

Let's face it, the thing that the lost hate to hear the most is the fact that God will judge them one day for their wickedness, and will throw them away from Him into eternal darkness; what the modern false church has done is try to convince the lost that ‘God loves you just the way you are’, as if God would want pigs in the Holy of Holies. These assertions imply that God, instead of pouring His wrath out on the lost did it to his Son so now God’s wrath is really no big deal, misapplying the Scripture of “God’s kindness leads us towards repentance’, overlooking the fact that God’s kindness is what stopped Him from casting us all into hell as wicked and unprofitable sinners. But, for the righteous, mercy triumphs over judgment, and we rejoice in His grace, knowing the depths of the punishments we were saved from.

When we warn people of Hell, we know that God’s wrath is terrible, but by believing in Christ as Lord, the only way of salvation, we can be spared God’s wrath and judgment, and be made sons and co-heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of God for all eternity. For us, through Christ, crushing brought healing, but for the wicked crushing brings death. Why would anyone forbid warning the lost of an eternal death so horrible and terrible, leading them instead into modern religion, thus denying them the Way of Salvation. What then have these supposed converts been saved from?

As Jesus our Lord said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matt 23:15

Steven Styles - 1/18/2008

Jesus Wept

The Bible doesn´t get all sentimental when it brings the hard things of this life to our attention. It is a relatively small volume for the amount of material it covers. Each verse has its power, even some of them that seem like wasted reel footage. Some verses are rather lengthy; I don´t know which one wins the prize for that, but I do know that John 11:35 is the shortest: Jesus wept.

We don´t hear about Jesus laughing. We know that he endured the horror of the cross because of the joy that awaited him afterwards. We know that he has made many people joyous because of the salvation he brought them. But we don´t see a "laughing spirit" getting hold of anybody in the scriptures. 

This is in deep contrast to our shallow culture which must have stories that make them cry, jokes that make them laugh, entertainment to keep them coming back to church week after week.  Where the Scripture says "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones," these run with it and make it to mean something it does not say. It does not say, "Light-hearted carefree laughter doeth good like a medicine." I admonish the reader to look up the word "laughter" as used in the Bible (KJV).

A man named Lazarus died in a family that showed much love for Jesus. His sisters Mary and Martha were extremely upset that Jesus was not there to keep it from happening. Jesus actually avoided going to their house to make sure Lazarus died. Just before he raised Lazarus from the dead, he wept. As I said before, the Bible doesn´t get all mushy about what Jesus was thinking about, or what kind of weeping he was doing, etc. A modern book would be filled with several pages leading up to this incredibly emotional scene, but not our gospel of John.  We read from the record that those around him could plainly see he loved Lazarus because he wept.  They mistook this for defeat, which it certainly appeared to be, but boy did Jesus have a surprise for them!

Even as he was groaning in himself (is this not the groaning of the Spirit of which Paul speaks?) he spoke with the power of his Father, and nothing could stop the miracle of one being raised from the dead.  "Lazarus come forth!" is the victorious cry.

We too must weep, if we want to see the resurrection life both here and in the future. We must stop our foolishness we call laughter and let it turn to mourning. Sorrow may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Woe to those who laugh now, because their coming sorrow is endless.

Chris Simonson - 1/17/2008

Bible Study VS Entertainment

Bible study is important, at least as important as a TV commercial.

Have you ever watched a movie? It usually lasts about 2 hours. You don’t get up and turn it off every 15 minutes, do you? Even if you leave the room or the theatre, you come back as soon as possible to get back into the story. You don’t go off for a week at a time and then start the movie back where you left off, do you? If you did, you would probably lose track of the plot and would not "get it." But this is the way most people study their Bibles, and they really don’t do anything but sit there in the sanctuary listening to Greek meanings and anecdotes while the pastor assures them he is teaching them the Bible. The main reason you don’t study the Bible is because you like being entertained.

Reading the Bible is not very entertaining, in the sense just spoken. However, if we neglect it by not applying ourselves to study it, we are going to lose track of the plot. It’s about eternal life, and very few "get it." How do we expect to receive anything from God if we don’t care about it ourselves? It’s hard to sacrifice those 2 hours we could be watching a movie for Bible study and prayer. That’s why we are so calloused in our love. It is cold. Our faith, dependent upon hearing the word of Christ, is moldy or just a memory.

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:1-3.

Chris Simonson - 1/16/2008

Let Depression Do Its Work

Dear soul, when you first came to Christ, he showed you his love. This love is ten thousand times greater than any earthly love. We said to Him, "I will follow you anywhere", because his love is worth everything we have. And then, the experience faded. Welcome back, world.

But our God still loves us, even though time and trials seemed to have separated us for a while. We have an account of the delirious love between a man and a woman in the Song of Solomon. But it is more than that. It is a poetic description of our Lord's love toward us and ours toward him. It is inspired, not the vain ramblings of Shakespeare or Milton. Some who read it find offense, but the Jews kept it in the canon, and so have the Christians. There's a reason for this.

There are a few passages of note to the depressed: 1) "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?" 3:1-3. Again, 2) "I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." 5:5-8. Finally, 3) "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned (disdained)". 6:6-7.

This is passionate stuff, not for the weak in heart. The soul is exercised with great longing, great loss, and great love.  But the cost is tremendous. The flesh, once happy and satisfied, is now called into question. Will this satisfy the groom? No. He desires a godly seed. Therefore, we join him in his suffering. Jesus, who did no sin, nevertheless learned obedience by the things he suffered. Are we greater than he?

God is much pleased when we have joy in righteousness. But what when we have joy in the things of this earth? The false church will beat us because that is their job. They have no way of knowing who the beloved of God is. They think we are loose cannons, hoodlums, and feel that by burning us at the stake they are preserving the purity of the church.  Jesus said this would happen. And yet, if we are the elect of God (and we have to be the elect or all of the words of love do nothing but cause us to continue in our sin unabated) this works to our good. And indeed, all those who live godly in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution. However, if we shrink back, his soul will have no pleasure in us. But we are not those who shrink back to perdition, but go on to the saving of the soul. That's why I say, let depression do its work. Let us be chastened. Before we were afflicted we went astray. If God did not afflict us (or allow us to be afflicted), then we would certainly backslide. But he comes after us and won't let us wallow in our sins. 

This feels very depressing to the flesh, but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Many (most) will reject this and go some other way to relieve themselves of the chastening of the Lord. These are those who go to destruction.  Yes, we have to fear this God and then our depression will flee away and the sun will shine on us as we stand before God having no righteousness that we can call our own, but the righteousness which is by faith in Christ.

In the meantime our Lord says, "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." Song of Solomon 4:6-7. And Paul says, "Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."  2 Timothy 2:19

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead:  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10.

Chris Simonson - 1/15/2008

Blessed are the Peacemakers...

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

When we look at the Bible, we see that peace is good; strife is bad. At first glance, hastily forming an opinion, we may think: We should therefore avoid all conflict and make people happy with us, and with each other. But, as we intend to show, this is a private interpretation and no good at all! Let us examine some Proverbs (Scriptures) about strife:

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention. 30:33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and wringing the nose produces blood, so the pressing of wrath produces strife. 26:21 As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

This is just a small selection from Proverbs on this subject. It is pretty apparent that strife is to be avoided and peace to be sought.

Today’s Christianity interprets the above scriptures to mean we should not offend anyone or get them angry. If strife results from anything we do, including what we may feel is service to God, we are wrong and should amend our ways. It does not matter about who is right or wrong, it says, but about “the love of God.” This may be true in most cases, because men are self-righteous and think their righteousness is proof of godliness. However, when it comes to the gospel, it really doesn’t matter who preaches it or how: People are going to get offended and angry. Today’s Christianity misunderstands this about the love of God: It cuts both ways. The moderns love to quote Proverbs when it soothes them; but they hate it when the Proverbs reprove them.

Reproving, confronting, rebuking, warning, etc., are all part of God’s love toward us. If He left us with just nice comforting words about love, kindness, gentleness, etc., we would all surely go to hell. Fortunately, He has given us plenty of Scriptures to warn us about taking his grace for granted and using it as an excuse for sinning to our hearts’ desire. This happens to all those who believe that peace is unconditional or universal.

So, in the name of 1 Corinthians 13 they say do not preach the gospel, do not hit people over the head with the Bible, etc. Then comes the judgment day and all their friends, who have not made peace with God, go to hell. They bury the truth in the name of love, and there is no peace. The peace the scriptures have in mind is not a peace between good and evil, or righteousness and unrighteousness, or between the devil and God, but a peace between a man and God, and as a result, a peace between brethren.

However, this peace is not universal. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” Matthew 10:34-36. Also, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

This peace is not unconditional: “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:8-11. So we hear the good news with the bad news. If we separate our gospel away from how God presents it through His holy apostles and prophets, we preach a half truth and present it as the whole truth, and we preach a lie.

For instance, the first proverb quoted above is widely used to condone sin and ignore its results, calling such acceptance of wickedness (and inaction of righteousness) ‘love’. As we already read, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” Proverbs 10:12. But we must also read, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” Proverbs 28:13. Love covers sins; but concealment of sins is wickedness. How can a man confess and forsake his sins unless he knows about his transgression? We are told that the wicked covers up his hatred by pretending to love: “He who hates, dissembles with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with guile, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back upon him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin” Proverbs 26:24-28. But the righteous, the friend who seeks love, will instruct and warn the brother: “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Proverbs 9:8.

There lies the secret of the peacemaker! He distinguishes between the good and the bad, and moves according to the Spirit of God. He makes no friend of the world, the flesh or the devil. But he makes friends with his fellow members of Christ’s body. These are those who have crucified the flesh and the desires thereof. When a Christian is wandering off the path, it is up to us to restore him. How do we do that? By telling him things like: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” Galatians 6:7. This must be done in all meekness and with all alertness to danger, of course (Galatians 6:1). We have to tell that brother or sister that if they continue on that way, they will surely die (Galatians 6:8). If we don’t, their blood is on our hands (Ezekiel 33:8). Rather, we should obey: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” James 5:19- 20.

But we need to distinguish what is the correct course of action. The Holy Spirit must guide us. The peacemaker is called a child of God, according to Matthew 5:9. A child of God hears his Father and he does not listen to a liar. The liar, the false shepard, flatters with his tongue and says, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). John says, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” 1 John 5:16. We must be able to distinguish between a sin unto death versus a sin not unto death. We must be able to distinguish what action to take with what condition a brother is in: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

Those who “sow discord among brethren” are hated by God. This is taken by those who fear man and fear not God, nor do they love God or man, to mean: Say nothing controversial, speak not the truth, hide the sin, flatter instead of reveal, avoid the real issues. They fear that they will be found out to be shallow and unloving, so they keep up a facade and honor the veneers of men’s hearts, never seeking reconciliation but holding a truce with their own evil conscience. This is not how we find unity or peace among the brethren. The underlying fear of discovery keeps people, in fact, enemies.

The peacemaker seeks to reconcile friends who have become enemies, but he does not have to pretend or flatter in order to do it. He does not misuse his knowledge in order to impress others. He remains wisely silent when the subject of personal sin comes up, but he does not shrink back from revealing wickedness when it becomes necessary. The talebearer, the gossip, is the one who ruins others in order to show off. “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.” “A talebearer reveals secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter” (Proverbs 17:9, 11:13). But, when it comes to uncovering the deceit of the wicked, as quoted above, “his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.” Paul seemed to concur with this idea: “Those that sin rebuke before all” (1 Timothy 5:20).

If love covers a multitude of sins, then love also does not provoke strife. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). We read that anger and peacemaking are not compatible. “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression” (Proverbs 15:18, 19:11).

This does not mean that love looks the other way when obvious sin is being committed. But we find that flatterers will keep them coming back by ignoring their problem, cloaking their lack of love in wonderful words about love. But the true man of God will exhort the brethren: “For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness-God is witness.” 1 Thessalonians 2:3-5.

Perhaps therein lies the problem. The modern preachers avoid the Big Problem with this culture and try to run around to the goal of peacemaking without dealing with themselves. They are covetous. Their parishioners are covetous. That is why there is no peace. “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” “Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13-14, 8:10-11.

How can there be peace when we lie to one another? We flatter one another. We talk incessantly about our worldly gain, supposing this is godliness. We should be rebuked and avoided, but instead, our ‘fellowship’ is centered around such vanity. The true peacemaker will get to the underlying causes, bring them out into the open, and then leave the warring parties to seek the Lord for his mercy. We must submit to one another in the fear of God, or not at all. How can there be peace when there is no peace? If we seek our own, then we must ever be striving with one another. If we pile up treasure on this earth, that will be our continued goal, not the edification of our brother. Our goods will always come before our brother’s needs. How can there be peace, when there is no peace between us and our God? We say with our mouths, “We love you, Lord” but with our covetousness, we find ourselves idolaters (Colossians 3:5).

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:11 The wicked will even go so far as to ascribe the attributes of the devil to anyone who rebukes them (as they misquote Proverbs 6:19). Within the ranks of Christianity there have always been those who divide the brethren, or how else would we explain denominations and killing one another in the name of Jesus? But on the other extreme are those who profess love without discernment and bring devils into the house of God. A growing number of ambivalent Christians in America are falling into the trap of the latter, as they serve the works of their own hands and neglect the fellowship of the Spirit. To this huge contingent of lukewarm parishioners a word of warning is always seen as harsh and unloving. Without just now proving their interpretation of what harsh words mean, or sowing discord among brethren means, or a list of other scriptures that point out things that God hates, let us first look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. If Jesus says, Blessed are the Peacemakers, he must be referring first of all to himself, the Blessed One of the Father. If we look to Jesus, our example of a peacemaker, then we really need look no further for what that means.

We see that Jesus is not into “making the world a better place” as Michael Jackson would have it. Jesus instead says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34. His peace does not make friends between the rulers of darkness and God. His peace is not the world’s peace. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” John 14:27.

So how does Jesus bring peace to the earth? We hear around Christmas time how the angels said, “Peace on earth and good will to men,” but does the earth and its men receive God’s peace? If peacemakers are so blessed, then why aren’t Colt 45's blessed? Of course, it all depends on what one means by “peacemaker.” As we said before, let us look to Jesus to find out. We see a Jesus who was outspoken about the things of God. He did not wither in front of the religious hypocrites of his time. He didn’t give people a pill they could swallow and be all better. He didn’t load them up with pious platitudes, either. He gave them a course of action which in this life leads to death, but in eternity leads to life. He started a riot by being unjustly accused. He was crucified because he preached good will to men. Many wars have been fought over his name in the last centuries. The people are like the waves of the sea driven to foaming mountains and fearful valleys. They seek peace and there is no peace. They say “Peace and safety!” but then sudden destruction takes hold of them.

This does not sound like the peaceful sayings of a narcotic religion. The peacemakers Jesus had in mind were not anesthesiologists in a clean operating room. The peacemaker Jesus said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you!” Matthew 11:21-24.

Was Jesus talking only about cities who had seen him in person, who had heard him personally speak the truth of God, who had personally witnessed miracles from his hand? If we think to ourselves he didn’t mean we 21st century Americans who grew up with Billy Graham and Bibles galore, as we desperately seek peace through our own works, then we are surely on central nervous system depressants.

The peacemakers of whom Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:9 must be something other than wimpy yes-men. I think if we read our Bibles, we will find that Jesus speaks of peace with God. There is a reconciliation necessary between a man and his God. God can’t be bought off by religious rituals, however. Jesus said, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” Matthew 5:23-24.

There is a reconciliation necessary between a man and his brother. You will not be at peace with God until you have paid your brother back what is owed to him. Let’s not be trite. If you have burned your brother by stealing from him, return the money. If you have slept with his wife, you must make some kind of amends. Don’t go down to the church and attend a marriage retreat, for crying out loud. Go to your brother and plead for you life, because God will avenge him if you don’t repent. If you have insulted him publicly, then you must publicly apologize. If you have been a hypocrite and told him to do something you refuse to do yourself, or have told him not to do something you freely commit, then go to him and confess. Cry our to God for mercy. I f you have been gossiping about the brother, go and tell him to his face what you think of him and confess. If you can’t figure out how to repent to your brother, then I suggest you beg of Christ to forgive your hardheartedness and your pretense of love. Until you figure out how to forgive and how to repent yourself, then you will not be forgiven. There will be no peace and no peacemaking until then.

But on a bigger scale, what about our brethren in the world, who agonize daily without proper food and clothing, whose families wither, whose wives and children suffer because they are Christians? Do we care? Not really. We have that big house we must make payment on. We have those vacations that our spouse demands. We have late-model cars and late-model churches to keep up. Our hearts are truly where we have put our treasure.

It’s time to wake up, brethren. We cannot ignore our brethren who are maliciously treated. Who is our neighbor? we may try to squeeze out of being responsible. We know what Jesus said (Luke 10:36). We speak much about love in our lukewarm churches. But what is love? “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:10 -11.

How can we bring gifts before the altar when we have not reconciled with these? Jesus won’t ask us how religious we were when we stand before him on judgment day. “Inasmuch as you did not do it to these, the least of my brethren, you did not do it to me” he will say to the condemned. Won’t we rather seek peace terms with him and pay the price? (Luke 14:32). How shall we escape unless we seek the peace of others instead of our own wretched gain. This is not about a social gospel. It is about personal responsibility for our brother’s welfare, knowing that this is the only way we can experience the love of God.

I leave you, dear reader, with this:

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 14:33-35. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Mark 9:49-50  

Chris Simonson - 1/14/2008

Eating Ourselves To Death

I read somewhere that the average American eats over 3500 calories a day. That´s incredible, considering the billions of dollars we spend on diet programs. Am I complaining that we are too heavy and that being overweight causes health problems like none other? No, even though that is true. Am I warning that our all-consuming interest in eating, drinking and merriment leads to our own spiritual detriment? No, even though that is also true. No, because the earth-worshipers and goddess-worshipers and acid heads believe these things are true also, but it doesn´t help them at all.

Actually, I am very concerned about greenhouse gases that are caused by eating cows.  Processing those poor creatures into cuts suitable for cellophane packaging causes more greenhouse gases than all our driving and flying combined (if you want to believe a study done by the University of Chicago), and that eating red meat is not healthy and eating animals isn't nice. Thus, the only responsible way to saving mankind and the earth is to become a Vegan vegetarian (am I being sarcastic or what?).

And I quote: "We are eating our planet to death" attributed to Kathy Freston, New Age spiritual guide and a good vegetarian.

Quoting other sources: "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer" from 1 Timothy 4.

And, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body" from 1 Corinthians 6.

So, there's a religion that says eat 'health foods' and practice 'safe sex' because we're lovers of pleasure; or a religion that says we will be judged by a pure and holy God who hates sin, who does not care so much about what we eat and drink but what we do with the rest of our body.

Chris Simonson - 1/11/2008