Folks from time to time give me grief because they consider me a divider rather than an includer - a person who goes out of the way to be a narrow minded bigot where God's word is concerned. Here's a recent article telling my point of view as well as I could myself:

A Divisive Jesus By Don McGee

There is a global religious effort going on today that is of great importance because it is presenting an unscriptural view of Jesus. It can be found in most all mainline denominations, and it is very dangerous especially to those people who base their belief system solely upon what their religious leaders tell them.

Many of those religious leaders are saying that Jesus is the great unifier to the exclusion of all else that Scripture says about Him. In this teaching just about any person, religious or otherwise, can find a place of acceptance under His great umbrella of unity. The proponents of this unity effort willfully misapply John 17. This is Jesus’ prayer for unity among believers, not among religions.

What makes this interesting to prophecy teachers and others interested in end times events is that this teaching is forming the foundation for the harlot church of Revelation 17.

By that I mean that the world is religiously in the run-up to what is going to happen once Jesus removes His Church from the earth.

Some people might have wondered if this would ever happen literally, but they should wonder no more. What we are seeing in the modern apostate church is unmistakably the foundation of that future harlot church.

The world admits to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth lived on this earth 2000 years ago. The problem is that the world does not believe what He said about Himself, and they do not believe what the scripture's writers say about Him. And that is why people must be careful about what their religious leaders are saying. They could be dead-on correct historically, but downright heretical scripturally.

This should not surprise any of us, for Jesus Himself said He would be divisive, and that is the first thing we need to think about. In Matthew 10:34ff He said to his apostles that He did not come to bring peace on the earth, but to bring a sword. In fact, Jesus emphasized this truth by quoting the words of the prophet Micah saying that He and His message would ultimately divide families to the point that some family members would become enemies.

This flies in the face of what so many superstar pastors and evangelists are saying to their congregations. They plead for unity and for cooperation and for tolerance and for love among the denominations. Not only that, but they want the church to accept as fellow believers those whose beliefs and lifestyles demonstrate a total disregard for what God has said about faith in Christ Jesus, righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come (Acts 24:24,25).

Matthew 10:34 is also entirely at odds with what many of those same pastors and evangelists are saying about extending unity to those among the pagan religions. Many high-profile religious leaders, including but not limited to the pope, are saying we are all children of God and that we must come together in sincerity and unity to make the world a better place. The Vatican has been saying for years that “separated brethren” should come “home” to the Catholic Church.

Folks, Jesus did not come to unite religions and make the world a better place. This world is a putrefying mass of rebellion, and this plea for religious unity is part of that problem. At His 1st Coming Jesus died for the sins of the world. At His Second Coming He will make the world a better place. Until then, apostate Christianity will continue to grow.

So, is Jesus divisive? Yes, He is. It is not the on-going global unity effort that is divisive, for that effort is inclusive of everything from New Age to eastern mysticism to even monotheistic religions like Judaism, Islam and what is essentially apostate Christianity.

Religious unity will largely be achieved during the tribulation, but it will not be centered on Jesus Christ. It will be centered on Antichrist (Revelation 13). In fact, those who refuse to worship Antichrist and to take his mark during those dark days will die for their refusal (Revelation 7).

The world is very much ready for this harlot church. You see, people want a feel-good unity that has nothing to do with the biblical Jesus. They want one based upon human inspiration, collaboration and some kind of a warped concept of justice. If somebody were given TV access to all the world, and he tried to unify the religious world around the biblical truth of Jesus Christ; he would be driven from the world stage and labeled a dangerous extremist and divider of people.

Take a close look at those who are pushing for global religious unity. The world’s tributes to them do not seem to cease. Pope Francis is called a man of peace and unity because he wants to unite the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of England, protestant Christianity and even Islam and atheists; all under the Roman Catholic Church, of course.

Particularly interesting was his answer about the possibility of atheists being saved. Under the headline, “Pope Francis Offers Hope to Faithless, Says Atheists Can Go to Heaven,” The Oregonian of December 26, 2015 quoted him as saying, “You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don't believe and who don't seek the faith...the issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience.”

Obey their conscience?

The Bible does not say that. It says that trust in and obedience to Jesus Christ is the sole means of salvation (Acts 4:12). The hope offered by the pope, along with the unity he so desires, is not based upon Jesus Christ and His claims, but it is a false hope based upon the gods of toleration, acceptance and unity. You see how the truth about Jesus divides people...

Some protestant leaders, even some who are labeled as evangelicals, have also embraced the modern call for the acceptance into the Christian community of those who reject the Bible as truth. Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren are just two examples of those who have made a decision to redefine biblical teaching in order to make the Bible, Jesus and God the Father more palatable to those steeped in rebellion. This shows clearly that the claims and demands of Jesus divide people into those who accept Him and His teaching, and those who do not. It is as simple as that.

It is true that Christians must never be motivated by hate in their dealing with unbelievers. But that does not mean that the truth must be compromised by accommodating their pagan belief system, or their immoral lifestyles. Yet some religious leaders demand their followers do just that in order to show love toward unbelievers. That is not only absurd, but it removes any opportunity to evangelize unbelievers.

To think that biblical teaching about sin, salvation, and the Person and work of Jesus Christ should be muted in public or private dealings with atheists, Muslims, homosexuals, murderers, etc. is in direct conflict with 2 Timothy 4:1,2 along with other Scriptures having to do with evangelization.

But, more to the point is the fact that it is quite often not Christians who treat unbelievers in a caustic way, but unbelievers and so-called “progressive” Christian leaders who treat fundamental Christians in this way. In fact, many of biblical Christianity’s loudest opponents are those so-called “progressive” Christian leaders.

Consider Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist of Dallas. He is a highly respected spokesman among evangelical Christians, and he does not practice political correctness. Dr. Robert Hunt, a Southern Methodist University religion professor who is also the school’s Director of Global Theological Education, charges Jeffress with hate speech because he takes a biblical stand on issues dealing with Islam, immorality, etc.

However, at the same time Hunt gives praise to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings for defending Islam, one of the most hateful religions the world has ever known.

Jeffress read the Bible, concluded it is definitively the Truth, and even the satirist/atheist Bill Mayer would say he loves those who disagree with him. I can only assume Hunt has also read the Bible, yet he not only does not believe it is the Truth, but he has despicable things to say about those who do. So, who is the one mouthing the hate speech?

So why do these two men, both of whom have advanced degrees in somewhat similar fields, not only differ on their acceptance of biblical authority, but who also have such different views toward those with whom they differ. Actually it is a simple matter: Jeffress believes what Jesus said about everything; Hunt does not.

This is an example of how Jesus divides people. They will either accept Him for who He is and what He says, or they will not. Adding to or taking away from His Person or His Word are not options. But that is exactly what the religious world is doing. Those people would rather walk ten miles to reject or distort the truth than to stand still and accept it.

Not long before the Roman Empire beheaded the apostle Paul he wrote a final letter to the young evangelist, Timothy. In that letter he warned Timothy about such people. He said:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.... “ ( 2 Timothy 4:3, 4).

What the apostate religious world is saying superficially is that global unity, tolerance of all belief systems, and the acceptance of all moral standards are more important than truth. But there is more to it than that. They are not really saying that unity inherently has more value than truth, but they are actually saying that such unity provides them license to live as they please and that adherence to truth does not

They do not care about the intrinsic value of a ideology, whether it is godly or ungodly. The only thing they care about is whether a particular view of Jesus and the Bible provides a socially acceptable arena for the practice of their human inspired, self-made false religion.

The exclusivity of Jesus and His Word is the message not being heard from many modern pulpits. What is being heard is ecclesiastical nonsense. Christians are being told God is happy with friendly ecumenical meetings that give spiritual equivalence to all speakers and their religions. That is like trying to force light and darkness to occupy the same space at the same time. It is impossible. James 4:4 said:

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Revelation 17:1,15 says that the false church of the tribulation will be supported by the entire global population. That makes it easy to see that the apostate Christianity of today will be part of whatever the harlot church will be then.

Biblical terms and templates may be a part of that church in that Antichrist may be called the messiah, and the False Prophet may be called his bishop, or something similar. The precise details of this future harlot church escape us; her modern foundation does not.

The apostate church likes to patronize Jesus Christ by saying He was a good man, that He was a great teacher, that He touched the lives of a lot of people, and that He did good things for people. However, believing those thing about Jesus Christ will not get a person out of their bed in the morning, much less to heaven.

The truth is He is the Son of God who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead three days later, and what He says is the final authority on our relationship with Him and with each other. Those other things might be said about any number of people through the ages, but when offered as accolades to Jesus Christ they merely melt into condescending, undiluted hogwash. A person will accept Him as the One the Bible says He is, or not accept Him at all.

A church leader once angrily said to a preacher, after hearing his sermon to a self-satisfied church on the uncompromising word of truth, that he needed to preach about love instead of doctrine because love unites and doctrine divides. Though this man thought he had spoken a great theological truth, the fact is he did not know what he was talking about.

He had grown to become very comfortable with what he thought the Bible should say about Jesus Christ instead of what it actually says. Sort of like a sheep that has gone comfortably astray in dangerous wolf territory, he opened himself up to the dangerous lie that God accepts most everybody’s anything.

No one knows the moment when Jesus will take His Church out of this world. What a person will be doing cannot be known. Some will be at work, or at school, or sleeping, but those things do not matter. What will matter is what a person believed about Jesus Christ and how that person acted upon that belief.

Some of those left behind will know exactly what happened, and they will forsake their apostasy (Revelation 7:9ff), though they will most likely die horrible deaths. Others will continue headlong with their apostasy thus becoming part of the harlot church.

A lot is at stake based upon what a person does with Jesus Christ and His Word. People should not give up the God-given opportunity they have to know the truth for themselves, and should not trust some formal ecclesiastic with an unbiblical religious agenda to always, if ever, tell them the truth.

http://raptureready.com/soap2/mcgee29.html

DIDN'T THEY TELL US THIS WOULD 

NEVER HAPPEN?

NY Court: Farmers to Be Re-Educated, Pay Fines for Not Hosting Homosexual Wedding

(CNSNews.com) – A couple who hosts occasional wedding ceremonies on their New York farm have lost an appeal to overturn the $13,000 in fines levied against them by the state’s human rights agency, which ruled[1] that their refusal to host a wedding for two women was discriminatory.

On Jan. 14, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, upheld the agency’s order and the fines, a decision the Alliance Defending Freedom - which represented Robert and Cynthia Gifford - said amounted to confirming, “that the government can punish the Giffords for declining to coordinate a ceremony that conflicts with their conscience.”

The couple lives in a barn they built on their farm and have occasionally hosted weddings on the first floor and the surrounding backyard area, according to ADF [2].

“After the agency ruled that the Giffords were guilty of ‘sexual orientation discrimination,’ it fined them $10,000, plus $3,000 in damages and ordered them to implement re-education training classes designed to contradict the couple’s religious beliefs about marriage,” a press release issued following the court decision stated.

In order to comply with the order, the couple will have to attend those “re-training” classes or have a “trainer” come to them, according to ADF.

“All Americans should be free to live and work according to their beliefs, especially in our own backyards,” ADF legal counsel Caleb Dalton, who argued before the court on behalf of the couple in Gifford v. Erwin, said in a statement. “The government went after both this couple’s freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property.

“The court should have rejected this unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion, so we will consult with our client regarding appeal,” Dalton said.

ADF attorneys argued that the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing a wedding coordinator like Cynthia to plan and participate in a ceremony that violates her faith.

“The appeals court decision, however, sidestepped that argument and is allowing the government coercion to continue,” the ADF press release stated.

ADF explained the background of the case: “On Sept. 25, 2012, Melisa McCarthy called Cynthia Gifford, inquiring about the use of the farm for her upcoming same-sex ceremony. Because of her Christian faith’s teachings on marriage, Cynthia politely told McCarthy that she and her husband don’t host and coordinate same-sex ceremonies but left open an invitation to visit the farm to consider it as a potential reception site. Instead, McCarthy and her partner filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights.”

Source URL: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/penny-starr/ny-court-farmers-be-re-educated-pay-13000-fines-not-hosting-homosexual

GET THOSE RESETTLEMENT, er, RE-EDUCATION CAMPS READY!!!!!!!!!!!

We've come a long way from "Don't Ask - Don't Tell."

“2016 will be more like 1984 than 2015 was like 1914,” is my initial thought on what’s to come. As we enter the New Year:

America (and the world in general) will continue it’s slide into deceptionalism. In fact, I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet- Satan and his minions (great word, isn’t it?) are not going to give up their recent gains. (And I wonder if the United Nations will keep it’s presidency open (vacated on 12/31/16) for the Hussein man (or will he resign early?) who will openly declare his Islamic faith.) Thank God he's done on 1/17/17.

(wouldn't it be interesting if he resigned and Number 2 decided to run?)

Friends the key to understanding what’s going on is to actually reconfigure your attitude – I thank Jan Markell for this phrase that sums up what we should be thinking: “Things are not falling apart, they are actually falling together.”

All things work for the Will of God, who is still on the Throne.

Let me just touch on a few issues that should show us the trends to come.

Our political culture/situation will require a solution in 2016. Either the current headlong rush to oblivion will continue or a small set of brakes may be applied, at least in America, or increased racial and ideological unrest will happen. In the words of Jeremiah Wright, we will see the chickens come home to roost this year as both the current regimes’ plans come to an end or the anger of the middle class will manifest in some other way then voting for Trump.

The “Days of Noah”  will continue to manifest with more increasingly bizarre behaviors sanctioned while any actions taken to counter them labelled macro-aggressive. The suffix will be used to create a new Match game “–ophobia” show on NBC.

Strong delusions will continue to be the norm as people continue to not only not seek truth but begin to award degrees at major universities to those who know how to construct “the Best Version of the Truth Available.” Biblical scholars wil continue to tell us what Jesus would have looked like if he was real and what he might have said to support today’s uni-doctrinal religion.

Paganism will be celebrated as “climate change fanatics” demand we treat the physical world better than we do our children and our elderly. Terms like “surplus population,” “death panels,” “voluntary sterilization,” ”and “euthanasia” will be spoken on street corners everywhere. Tattoo parlors will begin selling discounted (government sponsored) 'tats for ideaolgical and identification purposes.

Technology will increasingly be used to mock and persecute Christians in newer and faster ways than ever before. The persecution and killing of Christians will increase, even in places like America, and the news media will include it in the cover up of black on white, black on black, and muslim on everybody else like they do now.

"Moderate and Enlightened Christians" will increasingly turn on Traditional Christians, screaming at them to stop rocking the boat and making them look bad and drawing attacks from Islam and progressives.

Israel’s isolation and being named a purveyor of terror will increase. Ironically, should Israel not exist, people, nations, and religions would still blame the Jews for their problems.

Traditional American values, patriotism, nationalism, and the concept of American Exceptionalism, as well as the Judeo-Christian ethics that fostered them will become verboten in the schools, libraries, clubs, universities, colleges, and CHURCHES of our country. They are politically incorrect trigger words of the past.

ISLAM will grow in popularity and sharia law will replace existing jurisprudence for a short while until the call for a one religion-one faith movement comes about.

TWO IMPORTANT VERSES TO KEEP IN MIND:

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?                   John 3: 12

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.                                                        John 3: 16

FUTURE EVENTS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE

Ascension of Jesus

Pentecost (Holy Spirit)

Church Age (See Revelation 1-3)

(WE ARE HERE RIGHT NOW)

Rapture of the Church

(“Spiritual” return in the air of Jesus)

7 Year Tribulation

Physical Return of Jesus

1000 Year (Millennial) Reign of Christ

Satan unbound & free to tempt humanity again

Final Battle

Great White Throne Judgment

New Heaven and New Earth

Eternity

IDENTIFIED PROBLEM:

The deceptions of the Luciferian agenda will cause great problems, both within the church and within the social community without the church area. Much persecution, trigger-targeting, and identified micro-aggressive behaviors will occur.

The ecumenical community (the “coexist” folks) will apply pressure for you to buy in. Jesus spoke to this at least 3 separate times:

The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”          Matthew 16: 1-4a, 6 (HCSB) 

As I close this is the important thing I want to leave with you: Beware of allowing your faith and trust in Jesus be taken from you by false teaching. He is strong and will protect us but we must trust in Him.

To all of you I wish a Merry Christmas, a prosperous New Year, and peace in yourself, your families, and your endeavors.

Do not falter in your watching for our Lord's Return as it seems immenant.  If He does not tarry may we meet at His feet.

John

Waiting In Line

Luke 3: 7-18 NRSV

Did you know that in the major metropolitan areas in the United States you can purchase something called “Rent-a-friend” to wait in line for you? The service is available for everything but the dentist!

Urban mythology says that lines can be created by gossip, rumor, or sometimes wishful thinking. They seem to spring up out of thin air and the hope of getting an edge on somebody else, be the first person to try something new, or just having the satisfaction of being first.

What kind of lines have you waited on (or in) during your lives? Obviously if you have military experience you’re an expect at waiting, while some people have little idea of the theory and use of lines.

Did you know that the studying of lines is quite big business and more than a few people have earned Ph.D.’s in their study? In my psych study days lines were merely objects of curiosity but now they're big bucks.

Line functions vary depending on what the product, cost, and need for the services are. Some lines occur (DMV, Social Security, and other government regulated products) because laws demand access while others vary because of time of day (Wal-mart and/or grocery stores). But there is always one common theme – why is the person motivated to be in that line, at that time, for what reason.

People’s reasons and motivations vary in any group of people: some are needy, some are curious, some are bored, some are nosey, and some don’t want to be left out of any deals being handed out. I laugh because I hear stories where people say they’ve driven so many miles to save a few dollars without realizing their vehicle expenses caused them to actually lose money.

But form a crowd and a line will develop somewhere (and not just to use the restroom!). It’s inevitable.

Our Gospel lesson returns to John the Baptist again this week. He is preaching and baptizing folks in the Jordan River. His message meant different things to different people but all shared a common theme of repentance and how to avoid abusing others. People lined up to hear and receive John's message. Listen to John’s message from Luke’s Gospel:

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"  In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."

Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming;

 I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

John was able to answer the questions and needs of a diverse group of people waiting in line to see him and receive his blessing of baptism without changing that message to words that tickled their ears. We see that even as they were baptized they continued to have questions about John, as to whether he was the one whom prophecy said was coming.

John’s answer pointed them to another crowd, another line, another preacher; Jesus of Nazareth, who John says will use the Holy Spirit and fire in His ministry.

People came to see John because they were needy, curious, bored, nosey, and even some that didn’t want to be left out of any deals being handed out. They come to Jesus for the same reasons. And some, like those going to John, will just be left with questions that will lead them to go to other lines, teachers, and ideas as well. They will never find the truth or fill the holes in their lives.

Jesus will go on to teach and prove that He was the messiah long sought by the Jews. 

The line for Jesus becomes a path and journey to eternity. 

Are you coming?

The line forms at the foot of the cross. Amen.

Hoping for Figs

Luke 21: 25-36 (NRSV)

Welcome to Advent - that time of year when we lift up the arrival and importance of the Christ Child while trying to strip away the human garnishment we call "the Holiday Season." When thinking of Christmas go with the real stuff and God's purpose and not the commercial appeals to divest your hard earned loot to places like Target, Walmart, Amazon, and E-bay. Jesus is the reason for the season!

These facts are true - or at least are reported to be: The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

In order to learn things in life you have to listen, read, and pay attention. In order to be a complete Christian with knowledge of the Bible you have to pay attention even to the end times prophecies of the Bible:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Frederick Buechner says this about Luke 21: 25-36: "I don't know any other passage in the Gospels that is harder to understand, to feel our way into, to know how to respond to, than these words of Jesus about the Second Coming. He is speaking about the end of the world and about the coming of the Kingdom of God as the climactic last act of history, and he is speaking in words and images as foreign to our whole way of thinking as his subject itself."

One of the ancient signs of hope is the fig tree.  Fig trees are right there in the beginning of the Bible, when Adam and Eve suddenly discover they are naked, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they cover themselves in fig leaves. 

A large fig tree can become an incredible shelter.  Fig trees can live hundreds of years and are some of the oldest living things on the planet.  Rabbis often studied Torah on the cool shelter of fig trees, and the tree was associated with a quiet place to seek wisdom. 

The fruit of the fig tree is often symbolic of blessings and prosperity in the scriptures. Many times the Old Testament prophets spoke of the hope of grape vines and fig trees.  If they saw trouble on the horizon, they spoke of fig trees being cut down by their enemies.  Eating figs in the shade of the tree is the good life.

Jesus speaks of fig trees three times in Luke’s Gospel.  In each case he spoke of the importance of tending the fig tree, and being patient for its fruit to come, and working towards bearing fruit in our own actions. 

In Luke 13, he tells a parable of a man who is contemplating cutting down his fig tree because it has not given fruit for three years.  He is persuaded to wait one more year, fertilize and tend it, but after that he is not going to keep a barren tree wasting the soil. 

Here the message is that God will be patient with us and tend us till we bear fruit, but hopefully we will get around to it and not just waste our space on earth. This would have been perceived as practical wisdom by his audience, since fig trees often took two to five years to bear decent fruit.

The Greek philosopher Epictutus, born 20 years after Jesus, said, “No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”

In today’s parable, Jesus uses the fig tree to note that we also must be patient with the work of God.  The rest for our souls and peace in the world we long for does not always come quickly.  So we have to be watchful, paying attention to the signs of hope in our midst.  Jesus says, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Let me note two interesting words of advice Jesus gives on how to be hopeful through tough times.  Jesus notes that there will be times when “people faint with fear and for what is coming upon the world.”  In those times Jesus promises to come to us, so “when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

To me, that sounds like the opposite of what we do in times of trouble.  Most often when there is conflict, confusion, hardship or threats to us, we hunker down and wait for it to pass.  That doesn’t naturally seem like a time to raise your head. 

The Marines have a TV ad that says they are trained to run towards the sound of chaos, towards tyranny, injustice and despair.  Maybe Jesus words are challenging us to get involved before the Marines come in with their version of fixing things. 

When others faint with fear, we are called to lift our heads and look for the signs of God’s presence. Jesus also councils us to not get caught up either in the distraction of intoxication or worry.  Many people place comfort in intoxicating things (not just substances, either!).

I heard an interesting but sad fact last week - Did you know that authorities in our black communities suggest that 1400 young blacks are killed each year over their sneakers?

Don’t fall into the trap of sedating ourselves in times of trouble (and in our times we have so many ways to anesthetize our fears with prescriptions, TV and Angry Birds), nor should we give in to the temptation of constant worry.  Worry stifles hope.  It keeps us looking for trouble rather than being vigilant for the signs that God is near.

It is Advent, and time to be vigilant and watchful for a light shining in the darkness.  We have lit our own candle of hope this morning, and during the coming week it is our job to protect and nourish the flame. 

Sometimes we must be patient with God, like waiting three or four years for the fig tree to bear fruit. Wishing for quick fixes is not true hope. Band aids and duct tape wear off. The wounds and scars are still there underneath, yet God's comfort lingers.  

Hope seeks true healing, lasting fixes, real change in our lives.  Hope is like planting and tending a fig tree, paying attention and being patient that we may reap a lifetime of good fruit. Amen.

“Will the Truth Hurt?”Revelation 1: 4b-8

A police officer pulls a guy over for speeding and has the following exchange: Officer:  May I see your driver's license? Driver: I don't have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI.

Officer:  May I see the owner's card for this vehicle? Driver: It's not my car. I stole it. Officer: The car is stolen? Driver: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the glove box when I was putting my gun in there.
Officer: There's a gun in the glove box? Driver: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the woman who owns this car and stuffed her in the trunk.
Officer: There's a BODY in the TRUNK?!?!? Driver: Yes, sir.
Hearing this, the officer immediately called his captain.The car was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation:
Captain: Sir, can I see your license? Driver: Sure. Here it is. The Captain quickly discovered it was valid. Captain: Who's car is this? Driver: It's mine, officer. Here's the owner' card.The driver owned the car.
Captain: Could you slowly open your glove box so I can see if there's a gun in it?

Driver: Yeah, I'll bet that liar told you I was speeding, too! Lying to avoid punishment.

Driver: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it. Sure enough, there was nothing in the glove box. Captain: Would you mind opening your trunk? I was told you said there's a body in it. Driver: No problem.Trunk is opened; no body.

Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole the car, had a gun in the glovebox, and that there was a dead body in the trunk. 

Driver: Yeah, I'll bet that liar told you I was speeding, too! 

Humans spend a lot of time by lying to avoid punishment.

  

The Apostles John and Mark use the Greek word, “alêtheia” (al-e-the-ia) when they are writing about truth in their respective Gospels. This word means the literal reality of God and the absence of any falsehood. It represents an absolute value.

One of the most amazing things that has happened over the last 20 years or so has been American society’s increasing belief that truth is relative and is not absolute.

People have come to understand that human values and truths can be manipulated.This means that politicians, teachers, church leaders, and even our children live in fantasy worlds that insulate them from shame, blame, and responsibility for their own actions. We’ve built a culture of psycho-babble that rewards participation and not success, and stresses overcoming the privileges of others in order to get even, not ahead.

Those of us who believe in alêtheia are the bad guys. We are the intolerant politically incorrect buffoons who are standing in the way of multi-cultural harmony. We don’t love our neighbors, we’re hypocrites, and we are judging others unfairly.

Why? Modern Christianity has come so far as to say “Life is a journey without an end. We are all on this journey together. We don’t know where the journey will end but that’s okay!” You’ll even hear, “We may take different paths, but we all serve the same God.” Do we?

Is Krishna, Allah, Buddah, Vishnu, Mother Earth the same? Do I really have to fake you into thinking that someone who thinks missionary climate change efforts are the same as preaching the Gospel? Do I really have to stand beside a person who embraces Biblically forbidden spirituality for the world to like me? Not gonna happen. The aleitheia of God.

This is the great deception and falling away that John, Daniel, Isaiah, and Jesus spoke about in Biblical prophecy. Someday soon these new “good Christians” will stand before Jesus and Almighty God and they will find that truth has no shades of gray and that God doesn’t give second chances in eternity. He doesn’t care what the community thinks.

Listen to our New Testament Lesson from Revelation 1: 4b-8: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

When we stand before Jesus each of us will be asked to account for our time after we have heard the al-ê-the-ia of God. What will your response be? I warn you: The contemporary ecumenical Christian church and the modern identification of Evangelical Faith has undergone a revision in focus, ideology, and vision that has led it away from the traditional doctrine, tenets, and truth of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Ironically, the dominant version of contemporary faith is through works, as the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees practiced in their day. It is not the content of the faith but rather the idea and appearance of “faith” that is important to these people.

These churches and leaders are characterized by three things.

1) Downplaying the ultimate authority and importance of the Bible. Most won't come right out and flatly deny the Bible, but most use differing ways to redefine the Bible by saying “Let's not argue about the Bible. After all, it's all about Jesus, right?" Really? How does one accept what Jesus said and what the Bible teaches about Him --- and then try to deny portions of Scripture? According to John 1: 1 and 1: 14, Jesus is the Word of God incarnate! They are inseparable. He is the way, the truth, and the life, period.

They say Christianity is "how we search for a kind of truth" where it’s all about "the journey," where nothing is absolute, and not actually a search for truth itself. They believe that “right behavior” trumps “right beliefs”.  This is why we have behavior police but not truth police.

If we had as much fight in our society for aleitheia as we do political correctness we'd still be one nation under God.

2) The redefinition of traditional terms: The new vision is that Jesus' use of the term "Kingdom of God" was a political and not a spiritual statement. Calling it a "peace network," "eco-system of God," or God's "global love economy," Christians seek to bring it to pass. They say, “The word salvation means us saving the planet!” All hail, Gaia!

LISTEN NOW! It is suggested that when passages like John 3: 16 say "world," it really means the physical Earth and not the lost humans on it! This is so wrong head it’s almost funny if it didn’t mean global warming is thought to be real.

3) Redefine the Mission and Purpose of the Church: "Evangelical" use to mean bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ.

Now it means bringing people into a setting that claims to be the Church in order to experience the journey of their earthly lives, including the notion that by their participation they earn salvation.  Remember the dumb idea that people ned to get awards and trophies for participation? This is the ultimate idea of rewarding participation!

Another deceptional teaching is that personal salvation is thought of "a lie that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone, can be in right relationship with God." They believe it is our ideas and actions that speack for the future salvation of humanity. Wrong headed as usual.

It comes down to the truth of the Scriptures and the Truth of Jesus Christ. So my question to you is this: “Will you already know the real truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth when you get to Heaven?” Or the ecumenical kum-by-blah version?

Did you live out Jude 1: 3 - “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Or will it be an experience that will probably leave a mark as your surprise, despair, and hopelessness grows as you come to realize you really should have paid attention? That that nice man or woman you thought of as a pastor and teacher failed to tell you the truth?

Will you try to blame it on false teachers that tickled your ears or will you recognize that God intends to hold you responsible for yourself? Your call – will the truth hurt you or render you perfect?  

Render to God with thanksgiving joy for His salvation draws near. Amen.