repent

The National Church of Ostriches

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Does the church care about anything anymore?

The culture said, “we don’t like being told that there is absolutes” and they took down all public displays of the “10 Commandments.” Some churches shouted, but only for a short time.

The culture said, “we don’t want your religion” and they took down all public nativity scenes, crosses, and any other “Christian” symbol that could be found. Some churches shouted, but only for a short time.

The culture said, “we don’t want to hear your fanaticism and backwards thinking” and they ridiculed and shouted down any public figure who stood for their beliefs, such as then vice-president Pence. Few churches said anything.

The culture said, “we have to be safe” and they told everyone to stay away from one another, report one another, and tried to close the churches. A couple churches shouted, but for how long?

The culture says that the terms “male” and “female” are irrelevant, and the churches don’t know what to do.

Other cultures told Christians, “you aren’t worth anything” and they drove Christians from their homes, abducted their children, and burned their churches. Few churches said anything, and their voices are being drowned out by internal squabbling. (see Love Your Neighbor)

Women in our culture choose to kill their babies and the culture says, “it’s their right.” And the churches quibble over which ‘crisis pregnancy center’ they agree with and can support instead of helping.

The church has hid its head in the sand and made itself irrelevant. This started some time ago, and we keep burying our head deeper in each passing year. Why? People, especially the youth, are leaving the churches. Why?

What would have been different if churches (and the people) displayed the “10 commandments” in their buildings and homes? (see Truth! Does it exist anymore?)

What would be different if churches proclaimed Jesus (Yeshua) during the time when they celebrate his birth? We seem to be so afraid of offending someone that only the bravest churches or people put out anything that points to Jesus.

How would the culture look if preachers stood up and preached love and repentence? But do we even know what love means? What repentance means or even why it’s needed? Or what if integrity was preached? – if anyone knows what that means anymore.

What could have been different if, instead of simply continuing online as if nothing was happening, the churches called for prayer meetings and taught trust in God and kindness to our fellow humans, when the Covid virus pandemic started?

How would it look if we spent time teaching people to respect one another, and to help one another instead of arguing over whether or not “the woman is to be subservient to the man” or simply teaching “homosexuality is bad?”

How would it look to those outside Christianity if we made our concern for our foreign brothers and sisters evident, instead of turning away because their faith doesn’t match ours?

What would be different if we taught our youth about the preciousness of life?

All of this can be “cured” simply by a return to the Word of God.

If churches would simply read the gospels to the congregations, week after week, instead of preaching their own words, what would happen?

We’d learn that the opposite of ‘freedom’ is chaos, and God gave us the 10 statements (10 commandments) out of love for us so that our lives, individually and collectively, would be better.

We’d learn that no one is perfect, and that to judge and condemn others because of their short comings is simple hypocrisy. We’d see that we are all in the same need for a champion and scape-goat – one sent by God. The messiah Yeshua (Jesus). (see Greater love has no one…)

We’d learn that to live a life with integrity is possible, and that it has a positive effect on both our own lives and the culture around us. Even when the culture is bad.

We’d learn that to repent is to show our love for God, and our desire to live as He intended. And we’d discover peace among ourselves.

We’d discover that we weren’t meant to go through this life alone, but with others. And that each person has their own unique contribution and is equally valuable as I.

We’d learn what it means to be a man or a woman, and that there is nothing wrong with masculinity or femininity, and they both stand on equal footing before God and in this world.

We’d realize that we have brothers and sisters in faith all over this world, even when their faith, and even their Bible, looks a bit different than ours. They are family as we all have the same Father and King.

We’d realize just how precious life is and can be.

All of this can be learned and taken into our lives as we read how Yeshua (Jesus) lived and followed God the Father.

The churches could become relevant again.

The youth would become interested again.

What can we do now?

Each of us can encourage our leaders to return to the Word of God. Read the gospels. Read the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible – Genesis through Deuteronomy). Simply read! and discuss what’s written!

I cringe when I listen to church services and realize that most preachers read perhaps 1 to 5 verses, if even that much, from the Bible. And rarely from the gospels.

I thank God that there are exceptions – and if you are one of those exceptions, pray for the others!

Let’s come away from all of the dry theology and sermons and simply live as God intended. As Yeshua (Jesus) showed us!

To finish off, I’m going to quote a garden flag I have seen that is the perfect answer to all the hate and racism that is rolling over this country.

Thank you Jesus for Everyone and Everything!

  • Yosef

Are you a Democrat or a Republican?

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Voting is over for the 2020 election here in the USA, but the results aren’t yet final. Though I think everyone should exercise their privilege of being able to vote, this post is not actually about the election!

On voting day I was listening in to part of a 24 hour prayer meeting, called for people to pray for the election. At one point, one person started praying that people would repent for things this nation has done, but the moderator (gently) stopped him told people to keep the prayers on the topic of getting their candidate elected.

Yet what does God want?

Interestingly, people on both sides seem to think that God wants their particular candidate to be the next president of the USA. Yet no one seems to care about the state of this country from God’s perspective!

So what does this country stand for?

– Abortion: our international polices even require nations accepting help from us to offer abortion services! We push abortion on our own people and the nation! And our legislators applaud themselves when laws are passed that make abortion easier and more prevalent in this nation.

– Immorality: our entertainment industry thrives on sex; not wholesome sex, but sex outside God’s boundaries, making it seem normal to have sex between friends and with other married people.,

– Godlessness: Our nation (via entertainment and educational industries) is actively and forcefully promoting a Godless world view.

And Christianity has been turning a blind eye to all this. Worse, we’ve been actively supporting it! How? By throwing out God’s word. Churches somehow believe that God’s word needs to be ‘made relevant’, which is to say ‘changed’. It’s no wonder that churches are losing their relevancy in the eyes of the younger generations.

Of course, this whole issue feeds upon itself by all the wrong teaching out there. Everyone interprets God’s word in a way that supports their own ideas.

We need to REPENT! We need to repent on behalf of our country and our churches and our selves!

Let us return to simply following Yeshua (Jesus), and get rid of all the theology that so divides! Yeshua prayed to the Father, “Father, make them one.” He did not pray, “make them thousands of different denominations” as it would seem he did when one looks at the state of Christianity in the world.

Being ‘one’ does not mean ‘being the same.’ The apostle Shaul (Paul) writes about how their are different ‘vessels’ (different people with different roles and ideas) and different gifts, but all make up one body.

It is time to quite judging one another (have we forgotten Yeshua‘s words in the sermon on the mount: ‘do not judge lest you be judged’?).

James writes, ‘pure religion is this, to look out for the widows and orphans, and keep oneself unstained by the world.’ How many of us do that? Yah (the LORD) says, “‘I am Yehovah (the LORD) that exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things’ declares Yehovah (the LORD).” (Jer. 9:24).

So, let us repent on behalf of our nation, our churches, and ourselves, and return to Yeshua. Then lets discuss who should be president.

Shalom! – Yosef

Compromise, compromise, over the Cliff Edge: “10 Commandments – Do Not Murder” continued…

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I’m starting this post with a joke.  Not because the topic is humorous, but because it helps illustrate a point.  (I don’t know who the original author of the joke is.  I first heard it more then 30 years ago.  If I find out who the author is, I’ll post the  credit.)  Here’s the joke as well as I remember it:

A Catholic priest, an evangelical Pastor, and a Jewish Rabbi were discussing when life begins.  The priest states unequivocally that life begins at the moment of conception, and that there is no discussion about it.  The Pastor states that he sees the issue a little less strictly, and that life begins when the heart starts beating.  The Rabbi states, “You two know nothing!  Life begins when the dog dies and the kids move out!”

Yes, this blog post is about abortion.  And the above joke alludes to a problem in the church that has been around for some time.  As soon as Christians entered the discussion as to when ‘life begins’, it lost the battle.  Such a discussion is only about making a compromise.  Once one compromise is made, no matter how seemingly innocuous, eventually more will be required.  As is now happening.

States are passing or seriously considering passing laws allowing abortion up to the moment of birth, and allowing people other then doctors perform the procedure.

This occurrence shouldn’t be surprising.  That this would eventually occur was obvious.  Once abortions were allowed under some circumstances, then the call for compromising on other circumstances would never end.  And it will continue.  And over the cliff we go.

We are now stating that life, up to birth (and possibly shortly thereafter), has no value.  This devaluation of life will continue.  What’s next?  Babies that have defects can be killed?  Unthinkable you say?  This is exactly what happened not so long ago in a modern society!  (Don’t remember? – think Nazi Germany and their indiscriminate killing of handicapped people.)

God states that He abhors the ‘offering’ [sacrificing] of babies and children to foreign gods.

You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.  Leviticus 18:21 (ESV)

Why did the people sacrifice their children to other gods?  The basic reason can be stated as this: they wanted a better life for themselves.

Are abortions today any different?  Why are the vast majority of abortions done today?  Because the mom thinks her life will be better without the child.

No difference!  In times past, the babies were offered directly to a god in exchange for a better life for the parents.  Today the babies are offered to some nebulous idea in exchange for the mom having a better life!

We need to repent on behalf of this nation!  We also need to start supporting those groups that are helping the moms find alternatives to abortion!

Today, Feb. 23rd, 2019, a call has gone out nationwide (USA) for prayer and repentance.  It’s about time!   (www.dayofmourning.org – best viewed with Google Chrome).

Yes, God’s command ‘do not kill’ includes the unborn.

P.S.

If you want to argue against this stance by bringing up cases such as when the mother’s life is in danger, I say to you, “You hypocrite!  If you were really concerned about the life of the mother, you wouldn’t be supporting these laws that will allow people without medical degrees to perform the abortion!  That type of thing took many, many women’s lives!”

  • Yosef

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