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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 10
From the Old Testament, we see that the tithe was part of the
Law of Moses. It was there as a law, because of the natural
unwillingness of people to share their wealth, especially if it
doesn’t get them a return on their investment. But the purpose
of the tithe is there: To share with the Levites and the
strangers, fatherless and the widows. But now we should read the
New Testament to see how the idea of the tithe matures into the
real commandment.
Jesus said that if our
righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, we will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven
(Matthew 5:20). When dealing with the subject of divorce (as
Malachi dealt with it), Jesus acknowledged that it was a part of
the Law, but that it was given because of the hardness of men’s
hearts (Mark 10:5 et al). When dealing with the subject of
tithes, he once again goes farther and says that tithing is
O.K., but the real message of the tithe is to help the
strangers, the fatherless and the widows, i.e., woe to those who
tithe and think they have accomplished anything (Matthew 23:23,
Luke 11:42). I find no “positive” N.T. scriptures regarding the
tithe. The first things that the legalists omit are the
judgments of God. This may sound like a contradiction, but it’s
only because the reader has been duped by modern religion. But
we are to judge the case of the poor, the afflicted, the widow,
the oppressed and deliver them from the hand of the hypocrites
who take bribes from the wicked and tithes from the oppressed.
If we cannot judge correctly, what
good is our religion? “Pure religion and undefiled before God
and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
(James 1:27). This is why Jesus says, “But woe unto you,
Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs,
and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to
have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Luke 11:42).
Justice for the afflicted is an important part of the love of
God. If we become the ones who afflict, our punishment will be
commensurate with our knowledge of God’s law.
Matthew adds to the list by quoting
Jesus: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these
ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
(Matthew 23:23). So law is more important than tithing, judgment
is more important than tithing, mercy is more important than
tithing, and faith is more important than tithing. Matthew
leaves out the word “love,” but it should be apparent that is
what law, judgment, mercy, and faith are all about.
If it isn’t apparent, then go back
to tithing and hope that God is blind. And so we finish: “Ye
blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean
the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are
full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first
that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of
them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's
bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.” (Matthew 23:24-28).
Chris Simonson 7/29/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 9
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger...” And so came
John the Baptist. And so the scripture was fulfilled (Matthew
11:10). If we have any belief whatsoever in the Lord Jesus
Christ, it is pretty evident that John was messenger for Jesus
Christ as Lord. When Jesus came, he made the offerings of Judah
and Jerusalem pleasant to the LORD, as promised in Malachi 3:4.
But most of them rejected him, so he went to the Gentiles
(Malachi 1:11). He warns: “And I will come near to you to
judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers,
and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and
against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow,
and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his
right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:5).
Once again, we see the poor, the widow, the stranger, the
fatherless, as we did when we saw one of the purposes of the
tithe. Jesus identified adulterers as those who divorce their
spouses and remarry, or those who marry the divorcee.
The false swearers we have already
mentioned as those who pretend to obey God. The oppression of
the weak is condemned throughout all prophecies, especially in
context with the law of the tithe. I will leave that up to the
reader to prove. And now we come to the favorite scripture of
the legalists: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But
ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings...Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith,
saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:8...10). Well, there you
have it. Will we pretend to be worshipers of God while
committing our adulteries and while we neglect the poor? Will we
misread the scriptures as have all hypocrites before us, or will
we become dupes of false pastors? (To be continued)
Chris Simonson 7/28/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, part 8
Now let us turn to Malachi, the favorite among the
tithe-preachers. “...I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD
of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.”
(Malachi 1:10b). It’s not fair to quote scriptures out of
context, is it? Let’s get the context of Malachi, therefore,
before we go spouting off verses about tithing. God is here
warning the priests that their office is no good in that their
offerings are polluted. They are carrying on with their rituals,
but God says: “But ye are departed out of the way; ye have
caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the
covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 2:8). But,
they still accept tithes, don’t they? The people come to them
and inquire of the Lord of them, and listen to their sermons,
and do many other such things, but the Lord is silent.
“And this have ye done again,
covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and
with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any
more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.” (Malachi
2:13). This sort of false homage happens over and over in the
scriptures. They are “false swearers” (Malachi 3:5). These
deceivers pretend to love, but they are expert in their
adulteries. That’s why they have to tithe: To compensate for
their sin and compensate (bribe) the pastors for giving them
another marriage certificate. As for God: “For the LORD, the God
of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away [divorce]: for one
covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts:
therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not
treacherously.” (Malachi 2:16).
As in Jesus’ day, this verse must
have bothered the priests immensely, because didn’t Moses give
us a commandment to divorce our wives? Etc. But God says: “Ye
have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have
we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good
in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where
is the God of judgment? (Malachi 2:17). This sounds like the
modern church doctrine of non-judgmental tolerance of evil, even
to the point of telling them that God loves them just the way
they are (and of course, their hatred of those who preach
righteousness). Things have just gotta change. They do. Malachi
foretells the coming of the Lord next chapter. (To be continued)
Chris Simonson 7/27/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 7
Amos 4:4 “Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply
transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your
tithes after three years”... This sounds like a mix-up. The
command to sin and the command to sacrifice and tithe are
mentioned in the same sentence.
What’s going on here? If we read
the prophets, including Amos, we find quickly that the people
love to do outward acts of obedience, according to the Law as
they perceive it, but the substance, the intent, of the Law is
missing. This angers God, who threatens: “But I will send a fire
upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.” (Amos
2:5). What is the transgression of which God speaks? God knows:
“ For I know your manifold transgressions, and your mighty sins:
they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside
the poor in the gate from their right.” (Amos 5:12). A typical
churchgoer reading this might say to himself, “I don’t afflict
the just. I don’t take bribes. I don’t turn aside the poor.” But
God knows he hates the just man who rebukes him on the street
(can’t do it at church functions): “They hate him that rebuketh
in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.” (Amos
5:10). God knows they take bribes.
Just because Americans pervert
justice legally by making it legal to take money to twist the
laws (a good Christian thing to do) does not make it any less a
bribe in God’s eyes. The tithe is especially handy for purposes
of bribing the preacher not to preach the whole truth. And as
far as taking away the rights of the poor? That’s the whole
purpose of modern tithing as far as I can tell. (To be
continued)
Chris Simsonson 7/26/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 6
Deuteronomy 26:12-15 “When thou hast made an end of tithing all
the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year
of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates,
and be filled; Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I
have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and
also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to
the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy
commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not
transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them: I
have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away
ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for
the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God,
and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. Look
down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people
Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest
unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” Once
again, we read that the tithe is given to the Levite, the
stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. This should go to show
the purpose of the tithe. However, men are hard-hearted and
prefer outward legalistic things to keeping the commandments. I
particularly note the part where the petitioner states: “...and
[I have] done according to all that thou hast commanded me.”
This is so typical of the legalist. He/she feels that a law has
been kept and that an obligation has been met and now its God’s
turn to bless the other nine-tenths of the income so the
covetousness flesh can see a purpose behind it all. (To be
continued)
Chris Simonson 7/25/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 5
Deuteronomy 14:29 “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor
inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless,
and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall
eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in
all the work of thine hand which thou doest.”
Now we have expanded the purpose of
the tithe to include the stranger, the fatherless, and the
widow. So far, we have the Levites taking the tenth, then the
tither taking some of it, then the other three groups taking
it... How much is going to be left over to keep the silver
polished? The pastor’s wife needs a new Lexus. WWJD? (To be
continued)
Chris Simonson 7/22/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 4
Deuteronomy 12:19 “Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not
the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.” The tithe was
to be collected and taken to the place where God had chosen once
the Israelites had settled in the land. Remember that
Deuteronomy was written before the taking of the promised land.
We know that Jerusalem was the place that God chose in David’s
time. It was rather cumbersome to take a tithe to Jerusalem, so
accommodations could be made to exchange the tithe for money,
then give the money to the priests, etc. (Deut. 14:24-25). Also,
the tithe was to be shared by the tithing party when he brought
the tithe to, say, Jerusalem (Deut. 12:17-18, 14:23). He was not
to consume any part of the tithe until he got to Jerusalem.
However, God knew that this would be a hardship for many, so he
had Moses write that it was O.K. to consume the tithe in his
hometown if it was too far away (Deut. 12:21, 14:24).
We’ll leave it to the legalists to
establish what the meaning of “too far away” is. But we see that
the purpose of the tithe was to keep the priests and the Levites
going, who kept the rituals going. However, that is not the only
purpose. One purpose was to have the person tithing share in the
tithe, as we just read. But these purposes are only the
legalistic purposes. One must look a little deeper to discover
the real purpose of the tithe. The real purpose is clearly
delineated in the Old Testament. (To be continued)
Chris Simsonson 7/21/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 3
Numbers 18:14 “Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine.” One
may draw the conclusion that the tithe was for the Levites and
for the Levites only. In case the reader does not know, the
Levites were the tribe that had no inheritance of land in
Israel, but were to obtain their living from the priestly duties
assigned to them (Numbers 18:20-24). Only a Levite could be a
priest. A Levite could not own land. So everything that was
devoted, sanctified, etc, to the Lord, belonged to the Levite to
do with as he pleased. The corrupt church, taking this as their
lead, does whatever they choose with the church’s money,
including buying land and making the priests/pastors wealthy. In
Jesus’ time, the scribes and Pharisees had taken over this
wealth and had institutionalized the funding mechanism to the
point that they were called hypocrites. But we’ll deal with the
N.T. scriptures later. The modern church takes its cue from the
Catholic Church and its covetousness. The Roman Church makes its
bishops and cardinals rich by giving them allotments of men’s
souls. Depending on the district in which these souls dwell, the
bishopric can be quite lucrative. One can even indulge in his
sexual fantasies because he is so well off and so well
protected. So much for the Roman tithe. (To be continued)
Chris Simonson 7/20/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 2
Let’s go to the Old Testament and see what it says about tithes,
seeing these scriptures are the ones used to leverage money out
of the congregation. As was said before, the first record of the
tithe is when Abraham gave to Melchizedek. As said before,
Hebrews explains what this means. But in case we choose not to
read the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament, maybe
we will read the O.T. at least.
Genesis 14 states that Melchizedek
blessed Abraham by first giving him bread and wine. He did not
ask Abraham for anything. He did not command a tithe (this was
before the Law). Rather, after giving Abraham refreshment, he
then pronounced the blessing, using the priestly office given to
him directly by God, both blessing Abraham and The Most High
God. Only at this point did Abraham give him a tenth of all that
had been recovered in the battle. Abraham did not give because
it was required, or even a good idea, but because The Most High
God had brought him victory and prosperity, right out of the
jaws of despair and defeat. The loved ones had been brought back
home. All had been preserved. It was time to celebrate. What
better than to share the spoils of victory with the man of God?
This was the “hilarious” giving Paul spoke of. (To be continued)
Chris Simonson 7/19/2005 |
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Purpose of the Tithe, Part 1
One of our readers commented that tithing could not be proven or
dis-proven as an ongoing commitment if using only the scriptures
I quoted in one of my articles, Tithes and Hypocrisy (I agree,
that wasn’t my point). He also said that I had quoted enough
scriptures to suffice to show the purpose of the tithe, to love
your neighbor as yourself (I agree, but more scriptures should
certainly be quoted). But he also said I shouldn’t criticize the
churches for their misuse of the tithes (I couldn’t agree less).
You cannot play enrich-the-church-property and use the tithe for
its purpose at the same time. One will win out over the other.
The reader felt there was a danger
that men would not give of their earthly possessions by reading
my article. I do not agree, because that is the very reason I
wrote the article – to get the money into the right hands.
Selfish greedy men will never please the Lord no matter they
give 90% of their money to the church. The selfish greedy church
takes their money and “uses it for the Lord.” Right. More
scriptures are called for! Moses gave the law that the children
of Israel must tithe (Leviticus 27:30 on). But this was not the
beginning of the tithe.
Abraham gave Melchizedek the tithe.
This is discussed in Hebrews 7 along with the Mosaic law. The
writer of Hebrews does not seem to be concerned with paying
tithes. He is concerned with keeping the eternal commandment,
that is, what the law (including the tithe) foreshadowed. If
that is not the purpose of the book of Hebrews, then why bother
reading it? Go back to law and get circumcised! You are missing
the whole ship by missing the gangplank. Let’s get on board with
the truth and grace. (To be continued)
Chris Simonson 7/18/2005 |
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 There
Aren’t Any Good Reasons to Disobey the Truth
Intellectually sound man comments:
"The only reasons people become
Christians are these:
1) they are still seeking absolute truth;
2) they believe they can have
forgiveness for their sins;
3) they want hope after they die;
4) they want security;
5) they want to live forever;
6) they want to be righteous."
Learned Christian man answers:
"None of those are the reasons that
a true Christian is born; but aside from that, those are good
reasons to become a Christian. But because of your stubbornness
and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in
the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to
those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor
and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly
ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
wrath and indignation."
Jesus said, "For judgment I came
into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that
those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were
with Him heard these things and said to Him, "We are not blind
too, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would
have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.”
Matt Simsonson 7/15/2005 |
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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 7/14/2005 |
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Testimony
In my awkward adolescence, I was a
challenged youth (punk). I matured on the means streets of my
indigenous area (depressed town), and found the Gospel to be
intrusive and far too convicting to bear. I thought to myself,
"Who are these Christians? How can they turn the other cheek?"
By mid teens I had acquired a distinguished but challenging
occupation (summer job) as a Specialist in Ceramic Eating Discs
& Utensils Hygienic Engineer (dishwasher). Upon arriving to this
great opportunity of employment, I discovered another employee
was there to assist me in my youthful, emotional dysfunction of
disgruntlement (week-day shift washing trainee).
Several days into working at this job (self-proclaimed gulag) I
came to notice a strange and curious beatitude emanating from
the Week-Day Shift Trainer. So, one day, in my best Pompous and
Judging Manner (in light of his distinguished career and all), I
inquired of him what hope is there for such a man of small
status.
He responded to me thus: "Eternal Life, for those whom believe
in Jesus Christ..."
Still curious, and slightly pompous, I thought: "Whaddya mean?"
"And eternal Death for those whom reject Christ.", he continued,
interrupting my thoughts. "So the question is, will it be death
or will it be life?"
Rattled by his statement I could think of no witty reply; so, I
hastily blurted out: "What do you mean by Death?"
He quoted this verse to me: " He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God." John 3:18
As quickly as he answered me, I fell silent, as if realizing I
had missed the point of life. As the day progressed I felt a
sense of foreboding overtake me, as if the heat of Hell was
billowing up, ready to engulf me. As I laid my head on my pillow
that night, I felt separated from God and sinful. For the first
time, I began to envision the wrath of God upon me; straining to
dismiss this by my own logic, I only fell further into the pit
of Despair. The days seemed shorter and the nights longer, as if
Darkness itself was calling me home. Although time had elapsed
and the job had passed, I could not shake the words of the wise
man.
Turning 18, I headed towards the Marine Corps recruiters office
like my father had done before me. But, first I thought I would
stop at a local church, who's pastor I had heard of.
Surprisingly, he made time for me; I inquired of him: "What do
you make of my situation? I do not know Christ, and I fear I am
going to Hell."
He replied: "You are going to Hell if you continue rejecting
Christ. Maybe repentance is in order."
I said I would try it. I did repent, and God forgave me; that
night I committed my life to Christ. Feeling the burden of sin
lift, and the forgiveness of sins, I became a new creature in
Christ, a son and co-heir with Him.
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) 6. And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might
shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not
of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:4-10
- Steven 7/13/2005 |
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The Feminist Gospel, or... Let’s
have another Donut
Wives, be supportive of your husbands as long as they respect
the boundaries you have established. God’s way of letting them
know
 they
have strayed is for you to show them disrespect until they get
back in line. This may take a shopping spree or ignoring his
wishes for a long time. A corollary: Husbands, be subject unto
your own wives as unto the Lord, because he that is servant of
all shall be great in the kingdom of heaven. Let’s have another
donut, girls.
Chris Simsonson 7/12/2005 |
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PLEASE DON’T GO THERE
My dear fellow traveler on life’s journey: What secrets do you
have to hide from me? If I asked you to honestly answer some
questions about your behavior in this world, could you honestly
answer? I have talked to many people and the vast majority have
put on a “false front” to hide their true thoughts and actions.
You may say that I cannot judge. You are making a judgment
yourself when
 you
say that. I can judge this one thing: We will all stand before
God on judgment day and give an account of everything we have
done in this body, good or bad. We should help one another
prepare for that day by exposing problems and dealing with them.
In today’s society, we have many
‘experts’ who tell us how to deal with our problems by putting
on more pretense than we already have. These lies have to be
stripped away in order for us to deal honestly with one another.
You may say to me, “Please don’t go there.” I respect that.
However, one day we will all have to answer to our Maker, who
says there is a heaven and a hell. The righteous, who have done
good deeds, will be resurrected to eternal life. The wicked, who
have done evil deeds, will be resurrected into damnation (John
5:29). So I warn you ahead of time, my dear fellow traveler on
life’s journey: There is a hell; and: Please don’t go there.
Chris Simsonson 7/11/2005 |
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Most men will pick the easy way
instead of the Right Way
I held before me one canvas, ready to be painted. I placed it on
the stand. I had two palettes from which to choose. One was
certified as the best colors because it was endorsed by popular
opinion 95-to-1 over the other palette. I looked around and saw
many artists busy with their life’s work. They seemed to be
getting quite
 advanced
in their techniques and overall progress, but here I was trying
the different colors and getting all messed up. The favored
palette just wasn’t working for me. The colors all blended in
various shades of brown, no matter how I tried to separate them.
On the palette they looked brilliant, but as soon as I applied
them they faded to umbers. I looked around. The other canvasses
were also brown. Each artist praised or critiqued the others,
noting the wonderful effect of the light against the dark, etc.
But I could see here and there some canvasses that simply
sparkled with color and definition. They were not so popular. I
wandered around and asked how they achieved such beauty.
The stories varied except for one
common theme: They all used the palette that was not considered
to be good for anything. And to be sure, the colors looked pale
and gray on the palette. But as they were applied, they turned
brilliant-hued. I had tried them before, but to no effect except
harsh and cold scenes came forth. I asked the artists their
technique. “You must suffer,” they all ended up saying. So I
finally gave in and decided that I wanted what they had. It’s
hard to explain, but I became one with the undesired palette by
believing their story and desiring the true colors. It was like
death to my own abilities and impatience. And, then, as I
applied the paint to the canvas, it was as though my fingers
were on fire and blood came from them and ran down the brush and
mixed with the colors as I applied them. This hurt me and I went
slowly from fear, but I found that the resulting colors were
true and faithful. Fear was gradually replaced with faith. I
began to paint a scene worthy of man’s purpose: To glorify God.
Jesus is the only palette that can be used for this. There are
others, but they do not glorify God and they all wind up muddy
and filthy on the canvas of life. Those pictures will be sold to
the devil at the art auction that’s coming shortly. God has
already bid and bought the entire lot of the pictures considered
by most men to be worthless. They are His chosen ones. He likes
the pictures they draw. They remind him of his Son’s art. And
also, by extension, there’s no doubt a good homily inherent in
the homonym ‘pallet’: “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your
pallet, and walk.’” John 5:8.
Chris Simsonson 7/08/2005 |
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It’s all about the children
You would think from listening to modern day preaching that the
church had forgotten its mission: to build up men so they can do
the Lord’s work. If the men were warned and encouraged and
 helped,
then their women and children would be helped immensely.
Instead, we see focus on the family, focus on the kids, focus on
the women, and, ultimately, focus on the minister and his/her
programs. No wonder the church has become effete (look that word
up). The devil will come as an angel of light and touch many so
they become darkness. He will do this by giving them warm
fuzzies and wonderful fancies. They will focus on flowers and
flower children. No mind that death and destruction are on all
sides and men relinquish their courage and faith; let’s have a
tea party or a romper room hour so the church can take over
after the man has been feminized or booted out. Many Christian
ministries strengthen the hand of the oppressor by coming under
the cloak of helping women and children. In fact, they ruin the
God ordained order of the family and it’s fitting that the more
these family ministries minister, the more homosexuals get
married and ordained.
Chris Simonson 7/07/2005 |
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The Warning... Part Three
Many people have been stoned, burned at the stake and worse, for
the same offense this man committed. They are prophets and
witnesses for the truth. They warned others and it came to pass
just as they said. Somehow, they are seen as the guilty party.
They are tried and condemned. The faithful and true witness,
Jesus Christ, was crucified for his efforts. Jesus warned
everyone there is a day coming in which the world will be judged
in righteousness. Men will try to hide from the Judge, but they
will not escape the destruction. Like the man in the story
above, Jesus while on earth did not know the time when this will
happen. He said, “The son of man did not come into the world to
judge the world, but to save it.” Unlike the man in the story,
He knows now; He ought to know: He is the Judge.
He warns because he wants men and women to be delivered from the
only judgment befitting to unbelievers: “Depart from me, you
workers of iniquity, into the fire of hell prepared for the
devil and his angels.” This tends to upset them. They are at
ease, dining at the riverside, enjoying life. Many friends
surround them, assuring them that all is well. If there is a
God, he loves them, they say. These friends even call themselves
Christians. They especially hate the ones whom God sends by to
warn the carefree consumers. They tell themselves and their
friends that sitting around doing nothing but enjoying God’s
creation is another word for “love.”
My friend, are you sitting at the
riverside enjoying the good things of life? Does your
conversation about God and his love center around your easy
lifestyle? Do you hate it when someone warns you about the
imminent explosion of the beautiful dining facilities? Then you
really ought to re-examine your faith. Maybe it is not based on
truth, but on comfort level.
Chris Simonson 7/06/2005 |
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The warning... Part Two
Time has shown that the man was innocent. And time has produced
many theories and advice on what actually happened. There are
those who feel the man should have done the right thing and
reported the bomb to the authorities. Perhaps he did and the
authorities have been unwilling to come forth with this
information. At any rate, he never had much to say at his trial
and the authorities hanged him.
There are others who feel that the man should have been less
obtrusive and more sensitive to the diners’ mood of ease and
serenity. Because then, they reason, the diners would have
‘identified’ with the man and come over to his side. Many
witness told the officers they had been offended at first and
told the man to leave the property, but afterward figured he was
doubtless the bomber. Others, who were not so sure, nonetheless
felt that he should have been more compelling in his warning.
One witness was reported as saying “He actually drove people
away from himself instead of winning them to his side.”
Either way, injustice was done.
Chris Simonson 7/05/2005 |
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The Warning... Part one
A man was arrested and jailed for warning people that a bomb was
going to explode at a riverside café. He was not incorrect: The
bomb exploded and killed several and injured dozens. So, to be
accurate, he was not arrested because he warned anyone; he was
arrested because he was right. There were several witnesses
against him, who testified that he had upset them. At first,
they thought he was crazy; then they decided he was making a
bomb threat. That’s when they called the police. The arresting
officers assured the public that justice would be done and those
responsible found and punished. They held the man for trial
without bail. The public, outraged by the press reports,
demanded the severest sentence possible against the man and his
collaborators, if any.
Actually, the man in this story is innocent. He is more than
innocent: He is a hero and has been unjustly accused. The
circumstantial evidence against him is only that he knew of a
bomb and was telling others the truth. He did not know exactly
where the bomb was or exactly when it was going to go off,
because as I have said, he is innocent. He had received good
information from a source not to be taken lightly, that is, he
overheard the real perpetrators planning the destruction and had
rushed immediately to the café and shouted warning. To their
everlasting shame, there were others who also knew of the
planned destruction and did nothing, knowing that they would be
putting their own lives at risk.
Chris Simonson 7/04/2005 |
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Hate
that which is Evil, love that which is Good
“Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for
darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
(Isaiah 5:20)
After preaching the Good News of Christ and letting people know
the evil things that God despises and the reasons His wrath is
upon them and the rest of mankind; we are noticing an increased
number of professing Christians that will accuse “you are
judgmental” or “you can’t judge another”. They appear to be
sincere, but what are they talking about?
David says, “For the LORD loves judgment, and will not forsake
his saints…”
It is true that we are not to judge wrongly. Jesus reprimanded
the Pharisees because their judgments were hypocritical; but
Jesus said to judge rightly.
To follow Jesus’ commandment, to preach His Gospel, is wrong
judgment in these people’s eyes. Even when preaching Jesus’
words, as he preached them incurs their hatred. But their
judgment is wrong and hypocritical. Let’s take a quick glance.
When Moses was setting up godly men to proxy for him, by
Jethro’s instruction, these were the requirements: “Able men,
such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness…”
As good mature Christian men, we
are to hate covetousness and love Christ’s words, even the ones
that say “sell everything and give it to the poor and follow
Him”.
So repent, don’t be like the
hypocrites who despise the servants of the Lord when they see
them preaching the truth, and approve of covetous practices.
Love God and His children, Hate the
world and its lusts.
Matt Simsonson 7/01/2005 |
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