A Warning to the Evangelical Church:

A Warning to the Evangelical Church:

Today, John Edwards left the presidential race and for good reason. He did not have the support needed to win. Why was that? I believe that it was because the causes he was fighting for are not really important to most Americans, especially the evangelical church. I realize that John Edwards did not represent himself as an evangelical, but the issues that he emphasized are the issues that Jesus emphasized

John Edwards was a champion for the poor and disenfranchised and so was Jesus. John Edwards spoke of the hunger and lack that we have in this country. He said that he was looking for one America, not a divided America, and that one of the signs of One America would be “One America where no child will go to bed hungry because we will finally end the moral shame of 37 million people living in poverty.”

To me, it is a moral shame that the evangelical church finds it necessary to take a moral stance on abortion, homosexuality, and the family, and then, completely ignores the moral shame of poverty in our midst. This is especially in view of Jesus words in Matthew 25:31-46, “when you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it unto me.”

This is an even further shame, when the basis for judgment is whether or not one feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, gives shelter to the homeless, refreshes the thirsty and visits the sick and prisoners. The fact that a man like John Edwards can be completely ignored speaks of the moral shame of America the Beautiful.

Jesus Mission Statement; Isaiah 61:1-4

According to Luke chapter four, Jesus Himself saw this passage as His mission statement:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

(Isa 61:1-4)

There are many facets to this declaration. First, there is a way in which this must be seen spiritually for each person who will put faith in the redemption wrought in Jesus Christ. That is, good news for the poor in spirit, brokenhearted because of sin and its consequences, and the announcement of freedom from Satan's prison.

Still, it is more than that. It is a call for social justice. I think of the inner city and the ministries that serve this population.

Certainly the cities have been ruined by the devastations of many generations, certainly there is ample opportunity for repair. It is sad that the focus of evangelical Christianity has been only spiritual. Again, I am not diminishing the importance of rebirth of each individual but, that should not be pursued at the expense of the natural life.

If one reads the Prophets, Psalms, and Proverbs, it should be glaringly clear that ancient Israel's greatest sin, aside from idolatry, was mistreatment of the poor. Justice was subverted from the poor and the rulers and judges were open to bribery. Financial status, could buy justice. There was no justice in the gates. We must remember that the gate was symbolic of the government. Ancient Israel was ruled and judged by the elders in the gate. The gate was the seat of commerce.

Let us not forget the words of Jesus, I was hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink, homeless and you took me in, sick and in prison and you visited me. We should begin to take better care of our Lord!

Learning a Theology Lesson from Dr. King

On August 23, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, delivered his epic “I have a dream” speech on the mall in Washington D.C. I would like to offer a quote from this speech that shows the brilliant, if not so subtle, criticism of Christianity at the time. It was a reference that he made in the speech. Here’s the quote:

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹”

The scripture passage that he used in the above quote is from Amos chapter five. The exact clause is “until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I would like to include the scripture passage where this quote is taken from, so that I may give it the context, that no doubt Dr. King, wanted it to have.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD. Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

(Amo 5:10-24ESV)

As you read the above passage, it should become clear that Dr. King was showing any and all who would listen and hear, that the white religious establishment in the south, was truly hypocritical, and that if they would in fact read the warnings that God had given Israel through the prophet Amos, they would have been given pause considering their treatment of fellow African American Christians. The gate is symbolic for government and commerce. Amos was telling Israel that their national sin was injustice.

As I look at the current situation here in the richest country in the world, we have not made much progress since the days of Dr. King some forty-four years ago. There is little concern for the poor and disenfranchised. Taxes are still exacted at the expense of the poorest Americans. Most of our charity efforts, allows too much of the finances meant to help with the distribution to the poor, to be consumed by unnecessary administrative costs. All to often in our courts, justice is not available for the poor but can be bought by the wealthy. If God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and I believe He is, then we as a country, as Christians, should reflect on the fact that God brought judgment to Israel because of the warnings of the prophet Amos.

When will we let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a might stream?

Faith Working Through Love

I thought it might be good to explore what the phrase *faith working through love* means. How does faith work through love?

It begins with God's LOVE/AGAPE. It is summed up in this verse and thought.

Rom 5:20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

The concept that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more shows the Father's unconditional love for His creation. Forget the retort "should we sin so that grace may abound? God forbid" for a minute. The fact is this, to the one who is truly SEEKING the Lord, there is NO LIMIT to the Father's mercy and grace and this translates into AGAPE/love.

Now then, where does faith come in? Well, when one TRULY GRASPS the Father's unconditional love, this causes them to genuinely love the Father and Christ Jesus. In other words, when one apprehends by faith, trust and confidence, this causes a love for God to well up inside them producing Love for God. This love for God begins to constrain the individual to begin to do the works prepared before the foundation of the world. The Spirit has told me that as we busy ourselves with feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless and visiting the sick and prisoners, we will be too busy and tired to do so much sinning. :)

Again, using David as an example, David believed in the mercy of the Father and knew that God was a forgiving God. God then testified through the Prophet Samuel, "David is a man after my own heart."

Death Swallowed By Victory

I would like to share a partial preterist reading of First Corinthians chapter 15. To begin with, I am positing that this would be a way of looking at it with respect to national Israel and the Old Covenant. I want to point out that I am leaving the door open for future spiritual fulfillments.

1Co 15:23-26 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. (24) Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (26) The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

I believe that when he speaks of destroying every rule and authority and power he is speaking of the Jewish system, the Sanhedrin and the temple complex. The temple complex was the center of all rule, authority and power. Now then, within the context of this passage, the last enemy, death, is the ministry of death, the Old Covenant.

Paul is speaking here of the TORAH of sin and death. When the Jews rejected Jesus the Messiah, they in effect rejected the TORAH of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Certainly, in Jesus ministry, his only enemies were the ruling Jews. They are the ones who crucified the Lord of glory. The great symbol of the TORAH of sin and death was the temple.

Further, Peter declared; "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."

(1Pe 4:7) It was the expectation of all the apostles and disciples of Jesus, the expectation of the rabbis, the expectation of the Qumran community that in fact, the END OF ALL THINGS was at hand.

1Co 15:28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

We find in Colossians, that in the glorified Christ, all of the fullness of the God Head dwells bodily. Jesus was in the "Son capacity" during the incarnation only. In fact, the concept of the trinity is only applicable during the incarnation. Following the reasoning in Col 2:9 and John 17:21, God is in fact the all in all.

1Co 15:35-37 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" (36) You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. (37) And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.

1Co 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The two above passages demonstrate that it is a Spiritual existence that we are transformed into. In fact, the kingdom will NOT be operated by those of flesh and blood. It was a spiritual kingdom during the book of Acts prior to the judgment of the Jews and the end of the Old Covenant and it will be a spiritual kingdom after that also.

1Co 15:54-58 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is

written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (55) "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (58) Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

How was death swallowed up in victory in 70AD? Well, the TORAH of sin and death, that is the sacrificial system was done away with never to return. The only TORAH left was the TORAH OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus. Death was swallowed up in victory. It has no sting.

The strength of sin was the TORAH of sin and death.

Election Reflection

I can recall when Newt Gingrich and Dick Army stood on the Capitol Steps with other republican congressmen and pledged a contract with America. The promise was to reduce the debt and to bring the federal bureaucracy under control. The contract took many of its promises from the State of the Union Speech, Ronald Reagan gave in 1985.

It was the mid-term election of Bill Clinton’s first term in the White House. They seemed to be what they presented themselves to be; they were Washington outsiders. They had witnessed abuse of power by the Democrats and were determined to clean house so to speak. This came on the heels of scandal with the speaker of the house Jim Wright and the house ways and means chairman Dan Rostenkowski.

Twelve years have come and gone and in that time, Tom Delay, Republican speaker of the house left his office because of scandal. The Republicans have participated in the same thing that they accused the Democrats of back in 1994.

I once again am reminded of the swinging pendulum. I have watched the pendulum swing in every facet of life. I have seen the pendulum phenomenon in corporate America. I have watched the pendulum swing within the public school systems. It seems that no one can ever stay on a middle course.

What will the change of power mean this time? Will it help the plight of the working poor? Will it bring control to the greed of the multinational corporations? Will wages go up? Will gasoline prices go down? Will the future be secure for our children and their children? Or, will the pendulum keep swinging eternally?

A Fishing Trip To Remember

In nineteen eighty three I was living and working in Phoenix Arizona. I had been raised in Michigan with all of its lakes and streams, and oddly, I didn’t fish very often. So after moving to the desert, of all places, I decided to take up fishing. Who would think of such a thing in the desert? But, the truth is, that within a short distance from Phoenix, there were several great fishing lakes, all man made from damming, either the Salt, or Agua Fria Rivers. My favorite was Lake Pleasant. It was just thirty miles north of Phoenix.

In January, I invited a friend to go on an overnight fishing trip. He had never been fishing before, and had not been camping in a long time. We packed up on a Tuesday morning, and drove out through the Giant Saguaro. It was a cold overcast gray day. The temperature was in the mid forties. This was typical of Phoenix winters, and this particular year had seen an exceptionally heavy rainfall. The lake level was very high.

Jeremy was my best friend, and while we had worked, hiked, bicycled, socialized together, neither of us had been camping in years. I had recently bought a tent and so it was set; we were going to fish and camp and have an all-around good time or else.

It was an uneventful trip traveling to the lake. There was absolutely nothing that would suggest the events that were about to happen. Finally, off the paved highway, we were traveling down a gravel covered two track that encircled the lake. The gruel gray sky, the tan and brown colors of the earth and the chaparral made the lake look exceptionally blue grey. The land surrounding the lake gave way to rock ledges that made for convenient shoreline fishing. The rocks dropped off into the water so the lake depth was immediately deep right at the shoreline. One did not have to cast his or her line far to be in fishing water.

We found a clearing designated for camping within fifty yards of the lakeshore. We pulled the car into the clearing and began to set up camp. The shore was down a hill that descended at a steep angle and then leveled off to a rock ledge that was twenty-five or thirty feet wide. You couldn’t see the ledge from the car and camp. This was the place of focus. This was where we would catch the fish.

We fished without incident all day long. We were fishing for large mouth bass using “waterdogs” (baby salamanders) as bait. We would cast the line in with a sinker and a bobber and would then wait patiently for a bite or an nibble. There were none. We sat there in folding camp chairs watching our bobbers and discussing everything from fishing rods to women and business investments.

Along about four pm, we decided to go up to the tent site and cook our evening meal. This is when the unexpected would begin. Yes, it would begin with a surprise and it would culminate with and even bigger surprise the next morning.

We cooked hotdogs and chili and settled on the picnic table to eat and carry on more conversation. I hadn’t been camping for at least ten years and never in the winter. The reason is that no one in Michigan went camping in the winter time. It was way too cold and snowy. I had not stopped to consider what time it would get dark.

Well, we had barely finished our supper, when it began to get darker and darker. We were stuck out in the wilderness with nothing to do except talk, no radio or anything for entertainment and it was getting very dark. This was poor planning on my part to be sure. At about seven o’clock pm, we decided that we would try to go to bed early, get some sleep, and get back to the fishing the next morning.

We crawled into our sleeping bags to settle in for the night and all at once, we heard a blood curdling scream!
“Oooouuo Oooouuo Oou”
“What the heck was that?” Jeremy whispered?
“Coyotes” I replied

Sure enough, all night long we heard that same sound. There must have been a pack of them close by. I would shine my flashlight to look at my watch and then Jeremy would shine his to look at his watch. I could not imagine that a night could last so long, 9:00, . . . 10:00,. . . 11:00, . . .12:00, . . . 1:00. . . I think that it was two am before we finally went to sleep, but still there was to be a finale.

The morning brought another overcast, chilly, day. We heated the water for coffee on the Coleman Stove, and cooked some eggs and bacon in an aluminum frying pan. It was good to see daylight and I was thankful that we were going back to Phoenix before it turned dark again.

After breakfast, I decided to go down the hill to the fishing spot and try my luck again. I had put the line in the water and was waiting for a bite. Jeremy stayed at the camp site for a few minutes. It seemed as though my line was caught so I walked close to the edge of the rock ledge and was pulling my fishing rod pulling on the line holding it out over the water. I was stepping sideways slowly. As I went to take another step, I looked down at my left foot to make sure that I was not missing the ledge and then I saw it. There, coiled up, not more than six inches from my left foot, was the biggest Diamond Back Rattle Snake I had ever seen. He was coiled at least three times around, and was at least three inches thick in the big part of his body. He wasn’t moving at all.

I screamed, threw my fishing pole on the ground and ran up the hill as fast as my feet would carry me. I have always been afraid of snakes. This one scared me so much that it had put me to flight.

I hollered to Jeremy, “I almost stepped on a rattler!”
“Naw you didn’t”
“Yes I did Jeremy, go down there and look.”

Jeremy went down the hill to the to check it out for himself.
I stayed at the top of the hill by the campsite and the car. I was on the picnic table and looking all around that the ground. Suddenly I heard Jeremy.

“You aren’t lying Machuta”
“Holy Moley that’s a big rattler!”

On the way back to Phoenix, we discussed the incident. I was still frightened. We reasoned that the rattler was hibernating in a crack in the rocks. The rain had caused the water level in the lake to rise and so the snake crawled just far enough to keep from drowning but was too cold to move. That’s why he didn’t strike. I am really glad about that.

We never caught one fish the entire outing, but, still, that is a fishing trip that I will never forget!