A Three Hundred Pound Baby

A couple of years ago, I watched a program about a twenty three year old man who insisted on being cared for as if he were baby. He slept in a giant crib, drinking from an oversized bottle and wearing diapers even though he weighed over three hundred pounds.  A full time nurse had been hired to care for him.  During the interview, he admitted there was no physical reason, but that he simply liked being taken care of.  He just didn’t want to take responsibility for caring for himself.

Obviously, the man could never have gotten by with such behavior without his parents complicity.  Some one else has to pay for the nurse and his demands.  If something happens to the people who are enabling him to live in such a fashion, he is unprepared to earn his own living or even to care for himself.  His parents have failed in their responsibility to prepare him to live on his own.

I know of several churches that have been going for forty or fifty years and are still depending on other churches to pay their pastors and expenses.  They have never learned to trust God to meet their needs, or to take their own responsibilities.   Spiritually, they are as immature as the twenty three year old man.  Their pastors, missionaries, and supporting churches have enabled them to avoid spiritual maturity by allowing them to depend on and take advantage of others.

Most independent Baptists claim to believe in building autonomous churches.  The word autonomous means “having self government; existing, developing or functioning independently of others,” according to Webster’s New World College Dictionary.  Any organization which is dependent on others to support either the church is not truly autonomous, nor can it be independent.  If we actually believe God intended an independent, autonomous church, then we have failed in our ministry with every church that does not attain that state.

Hebrews 5:12 declares, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”  How long are we going to continue to allow these churches to not grow up?  They have become hindrances to the gospel, siphoning away resources that are needed elsewhere.

Even more troubling are the pastors and missionaries who have taken over self supporting churches, claiming them as mission churches.  Just this week I was told of a man who had taken over three formerly independent churches, raising support for the men who will serve as pastors.  While it may be necessary to assist a church that is struggling, it ought never become a long term or permanent situation.

Fables and Fairy Tales

A fairy tale is “a story about fairies, giants, magic deeds, etc; an unbelievable or untrue story, a lie,” according to Webster’s New World College Dictionary.  A fable is “a fictitious story used to teach a moral lesson; a myth or legend; a story that is not true; a falsehood.”

From Europe, we have the story of Jack The Giant Killer.  In the story, a young man or boy miraculously killed a giant who was terrorizing the countryside.  From Israel we have the story of David and Goliath, in which a young man or boy miraculously killed a giant who was terrorizing the countryside.  The stories are similar in many respects, but while Jack The Giant Killer is generally accepted as a fairy tale or fable, some people believe David and Goliath is a true story.  What makes the big difference?

Jack is a young man about whom we know almost nothing, except that his father had been killed by the giant.  We are never told what country he was from, where the giant came from, or when the story happened.  There is no basis of fact, even that Jack ever existed.  It is a total fabrication.

David, on the other hand, was an Israeli boy, a member of the tribe of Judah, and the son of Jesse.  We know about both his ancestors and his descendants, and can verify their existence.  We also know that the giant was a Philistine, a group about which historical records exist.   We are able to determine that the event happened around 1200 BC.  The verifiable information implies that the story is not entirely fictitious.

Without that information about David’s family, nationality, and opponent, the story of David and Goliath is just another fable or fairy tale.  If people are to believe the Bible is true, it is critical that we teach the background material so they have a sound basis for believing it.

What Happened To Justice?

A man robbed a store, getting a thousand dollars, which he spent on drugs.  A few hours later he was arrested and charged with the crime.   Since he had no money a Public Defender was appointed and a trial was scheduled.  The man was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison and a year of probation.   Sounds great doesn’t it?  The system worked exactly as it is designed, but was justice done?

The owner of the store had a thousand dollars of his money taken, but he got nothing back, and in fact lost several hours of work reporting the crime and testifying as to what happened.  He has received no justice.  A public Defender was paid at least fifty dollars and hour, for preparing and presenting the thief’s defense, and the prosecuting attorney was paid a similar amount.  A Judge was paid to hear the case, and a dozen people were forced to take time off from work to serve as jurors.  While they are partially reimbursed for the time off, it rarely covers the wages they lost.  Police were paid for investigating the crime.  Because the man stole a thousand dollars, taxpayers have been ripped off for at least ten thousand dollars, but we are not done yet.

We are told costs an average of about sixty five thousand dollars to keep a prisoner in jail for a year, and another two thousand for a probation officer to oversee his probation, which will also be paid by the taxpayers.   Almost eighty thousand dollars have been taken from innocent people because a thief stole a thousand from one of them.  Clearly an injustice has been done to the victim, taxpayers, and the jury.

Had the thief been forced to work at just five dollars and hour for forty hours a week, he could have paid off the thousand dollars in just five weeks.  Instead he is imprisoned for a year.  He has been deprived unfairly of forty seven weeks pay by being sentenced to prison.

How can a system which is so patently unjust be called justice?  The only beneficiaries are lawyers, and government employees such as police officers, jailers and court employees.

The Dance of Marriage

Since they both enjoyed dancing, a couple decided to take lessons in ballroom dancing, figuring it would be a way of getting exercise while spending time together.  After a few lessons, both had a pretty good idea how the dances should go but found it very frustrating and exhausting.  Instead of working smoothly together as they had imagined, they found themselves awkward and erratic in their movements and a couple of times one or both had fallen, and they were beginning to dread the lessons.

One of the instructors took them aside and explained that there was a certain role that each had to play for the dance to work.   Most of  the twirls, kicks and fancy moves involved the wife.  The man’s most important contribution was to keep her from falling or crashing into something, freeing her to concentrate on her moves.  While it didn’t require a lot of strength, it was critical that the man not be off balance or out of position to prevent falls.

It would be critical for the wife to let the husband lead, so he would not be taken off balance by her moves.  Much of the awkwardness and the falls had resulted from her moving in an unexpected direction or at a time when her husband wasn’t in the proper position.   Since many moves started with her facing away, she wasn’t able to see where she was going, so her husband was having to try to control her moves to prevent collisions.

Knowing that she was the better dancer, and having fallen a couple of times, the wife found it very hard to just follow her husband’s lead.  Finally the instructor danced with her in an effort to show her what he meant.  A couple of times she almost fell because she caught him off guard before she began to understand the importance of letting him lead.

As she learned to let her husband lead, she found that dancing was much less stressful. Even though their moves were not smooth or graceful, they no longer had to worry about falling or crashing into something.

The instructor told them that the man could not learn to lead until the wife learned to follow.   Much of the lack of smoothness and grace was resulting from the man having to change positions so he could support her weight.  Learning to plan ahead eliminate the awkwardness, and they began to hope some day they would be able to really enjoy it.

When the instructor insisted he quit trying to spin her and let her control it herself, her spins became much more graceful and the husband found it more enjoyable and far less exhausting.  Finally, the instructor helped them to develop a means of communication through almost imperceptible changes in pressure and contact that made their dance look as effortless as if a single mind controlled both of them.

The dynamics of a Godly marriage are much the same as those of ballroom dancing.  Until the wife learns to submit to her husband, just not falling down is a major accomplishment.   Parents who have taught their daughter to submit to them have done a great deal to prepare them for marriage.
The man still has to learn to plan for both of them, but cannot if he is forced to constantly react to an unexpected action by his wife that throws them off balance.   Until he learns to relinquish enough control so she can do her part freely, the marriage will be stiff and uncomfortable for both, and until they become so aware of what they are signaling each other, they will not function as the one flesh God intended them

Is this Ancient Diagnosis correct today?

As I read Deuteronomy 28:15-32 I am reminded again of the present state of United States.  The warnings to Israel about the consequences of ignoring God's standards sound very similar to what is happening in our own country.    I have used modern terminology for these things to simplify understanding what is described.

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.  Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.  Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” (Deuteronomy 28:15-19)

God had promised that if they would obey him there not be any barren or unfruitful crops or livestock, and that their savings would be preserved.  Here God directs Moses to  warn them that the consequences of sin will be exactly the opposite.  Disobedience would result in crop failures, unhealthy and infertile livestock and families and unhappy lives.  He goes into considerable detail.

“The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.  The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.  The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.” (Deuteronomy 28:20-22)

Everything they attempted would be fraught with frustration and opposition, ultimately consummating in defeat and death because of their sin.  In addition they would be plagued with diseases, such as tuberculosis, infections, bubonic plague, and other epidemics.  In addition they would be infected by molds and silicosis from inhaling dust.  Terrorism and gang activity would increase until the society finally collapsed.

Almost all the Old Testament, starting with the book of Judges, describes Israel re turning from God in disobedience, and his efforts to get them to turn back.  A cycle of disobedience, followed by judgment and turning back  developed, averaging about forty years. Each cycle seemed to go a little farther into sin, and each return tended to be a little less complete.

“And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 28:23-24)

Man’s wickedness affects nature as well and man, as Romans 8:20-22 describes.  Sin would result in a lack of rain and unyielding soil so that there would be dust storms and drought instead of rain.  Sounds like the summer of 2012 doesn’t it?  

In David Brainerd’s journal he describes praying for hours, day after day, concluding with “the heavens were brass and God did not answer.”  I John 5:14-5 declares, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”  I find it hard to consider Brainerd as the great spiritual example his biographers would have us to believe he was.  There is something wrong with our spiritual life when God will not answer our prayers.

“The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.  And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.” (Deuteronomy 28:25-26)

Sin would affect their military capabilities.  Whereas God would cause their enemies to flee before them and seek peace if they obeyed, disobedience would result in fear and defeat.  This is graphically demonstrated in the battle against Ai in Joshua 7-8.

“The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.  The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.” (Deuteronomy 28:27-29)

Besides the other natural consequences of their sin such as epidemics, and contagious diseases, God would also cause diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, thyroid problems, allergies and others.  Problems such as insanity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,  macular degeneration, heart problems and panic attacks would abound a s a result of disobedience.  Taxation and loss of freedom would become increasingly burdensome.

“Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.  Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.  Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.” (Deuteronomy 28:30-32)

As a result of their disobedience, adultery and prostitution would be widespread, homes and property would be seized for taxes, repossessed, or taken by fraud, leaving people homeless.  Children would be taken from parents by authorities or through divorce or kidnapping, leaving grieving parents behind.

Looking back in history we see the definite turning away from God in the United states after World War I, with the flappers and mobsters.  Churches became focused on good works such as prohibition, rather than genuine obedience to God, and things deteriorated to the collapse of the banks, the Depression, the dust bowl, and ultimately to World War II.  We went through a similar cycle through the 1980's, and are going through it again.

While The promises were to Israel and I cannot say they apply other countries exactly the same, it would be foolish to dismiss the similarities as merely coincidental in my opinion.  It would be worthwhile to at least Consider whether today's problems stem from the same causes.  Has our rejection of God's principles brought us to our present state?

Is That Really What The Bible Teaches?

There are a number of traditional beliefs and practices that many Christians accept without considering whether they are true or not.  Some believe they don’t really matter.  This Easter season has called attention to one such belief.

It is generally accepted that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday.  He was crucified and the sun was darkened from about noon until about 3:00 pm.,  Shortly after that, he was declared dead, and Joseph took his body for burial.  A hasty burial in Joseph’s tomb ensued because it was close and at sunset the day officially changed.

All the gospels record that Jesus was raised very early Sunday morning.  John 20:1 is most specific.  “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”  Jesus was already raised before sunrise Sunday morning.

In Matthew 12:40 Jesus declared that he would spend at least part of three days and nights in the tomb.  “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  He made a similar statement in Mark 8:31.  “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”  

The chief priests and Pharisees were familiar with his statements, referring to them in getting Pilate to post guards to prevent the theft of his body in Matthew 27:62-64.  “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

No matter how I figure it, I cannot come up with more than two days and two nights between Friday and sunrise Sunday.  According to Deuteronomy18:21-22, the proof that a prophet was from God or not was whether the prophecy happened.  “And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”  In fact, they were to take him out and kill him for his blasphemy according to earlier verses.

If tradition is correct, and Jesus was crucified on Friday, he did not spend three days and three nights in the tomb.  Instead he was a liar, claiming to speak for God, and could not be the messiah, or our savior.  While it seems a minor point, it is critical to what we believe.

If we accept that he was crucified on Thursday instead, a number of problems disappear.  First, we have the proper number of days involved.  Secondly, breaking the malefactors legs to hasten their death in order to get them off the crosses before the Sabbath makes more sense since they would have had twenty four hours to die, rather than just a couple.

The rush to get Jesus buried would have been less urgent, because Friday would be the preparation day, starting at sundown Thursday.  No work or business was permitted on the Sabbath, and this would also allow the ladies to do what is described in Luke 23:54-56.  “And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.  And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.  And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”  It seems obvious that Jesus was crucified on Thursday rather than Friday as tradition teaches.

While it appears a minor distinction on the surface. In reality it raises the question as to whether the Bible can be trusted or not, and whether our salvation is real.  This is too important to ignore, in my opinion.  What do you think?

Don’t Force It

Several years ago, a woman complained that her sewing machine wasn’t working properly.  I offered to check it out and see if I could fix it, because I had recently obtained a book on sewing machine repair and wanted to try it.

When she brought the machine, the tensions were both out of adjustment, and I had to set them back to specs to make it sew at all.  Once I got them readjusted , the machine sewed rally well.  I took it back and after just a couple hours she brought it back again.

I checked it out a lot more carefully that time, looking for something that could cause intermittent malfunctions.  Every thing was normal and met the manufacturers specs.  I suggested she try a different thread if it happened again as unevenly spun thread can result in tension changes and cause skipping.

After she brought it back several times, I got it working again and asked her to sew on it with me watching.  Rather than allowing the machine to feed the material through itself, she was forcing it through, causing the machine to skip stitches.  In and effort to correct the problem she then fiddled with the tension making the problem worse.  I tried to explain to her that the machine was designed to feed the material at the proper rate and all she needed to do was guide it, but she never seemed to get the idea.  I suspect she still thinks I was a pretty poor repairman.

A lot of people make a similar mistake in serving the Lord.  We begin to think we make things happen, rather than just placing ourselves at his disposal and letting the Holy Spirit control it, then wonder why the results were so unsatisfactory.  Some have been doing it that way for so long, they think the poor results are normal, and never understand that the problem is that they are trying to accomplish spiritual results using fleshly power.

If the ability to speak in tongues is one of the gifts of the spirit, why do we expect to be able to teach others how to do it?  Wouldn’t it have to be his power, rather than our teaching that enabled them to speak in tongues?

If we really believe that no man can come to Christ except the father draw him, as John 6:44 says, why do so many preachers psychologically “prime the pump” by having some come to the altar to convince others to come?  Why do we try so hard to be bold, forcing ourselves to ignore our fear, rather than simply allowing the Holy Spirit to give us the faith and peace to speak where we are?  If we believe that “the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are sons of God,” why do we try to give other people assurance of their salvation, instead of letting him do it?

By such efforts, we hinder the Holy Spirit.  There are hundreds of people speaking in tongues that the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with, and God gets little of the glory.  Thousands make meaningless professions, and are convinced they are saved when they are not.  People force themselves to go soul winning and alienate unsaved people because they are so pushy.  Then the results are laid at the Holy Spirit’s door.  Doesn’t that come awfully close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit?