Month: May 2012

How to be righteous…

This is the part of the sermon of the mount. The last three days I have commented on this: and I’m continuing today. Jesus is not preaching anything that is that new.  But he is expanding the law, to include the idea of love.

Matthew 5:38-48

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I was almost about to call this — Not natural. For most of us will not be able to do us. We are not saints, but by the power of God.

And that is the point. We are told how to be righteous. We cannot do this. As Paul points out, we are all damned, for we do not exceed the righteousness of the tzaddikim. The kingdom of God works by the laws of love, not those of this world.

Now, the thing about lawsuits is that they lead to fear. People are imprisoned more as an act of terror — to stop opposition, Or to appease the DEA: (Look I think methamphetamine is evil, But banning substances and jailing someone for 114 years for providing this — in fact banning substances allowing organized crime into my country, is equally wrong).

Or stifling creativity by increasing the number of ways you can infringe patent laws or copyright. What works for big pharma should work for everyone. 20 years to market it, then anyone can make it.   Or making divorce easy.

You see, this kingom of God is not about ourselves, it is about spending our lives helping others.  We do not really stay in a marriage or a congregation to meet our needs, but to meet the needs of others. We do not find happiness by chasing it, but instead by doing good and joy… follows.

This is not easy. It is had. And it is not the rules of this world. It is the ruls of the kingdom of God, and only by the Spirit can we get there. And without that, we delude ourselves if we think we can achieve this for more than moments.

The kingdom of God is not corrupt. We are.

We have to go back a bit to get the sense of what Christ is saying here — and this is a continuation of what was said yesterday. The Pharasees were righteous in that they did not kill, steal, or commit adultery. To enter the kingdom of heaven you have to be better than that: and this test is impossible.

There is a difference between legal and moral. The current situation with one of our politicians — who legally (under the Local Gov’t Act) marked donations of 25K as anonymous — has led to him bargaining for hotel rates being seen as corrupt practice. (By some. As far as I can see, it is the reason for Wotif and Expedia). Jesus is looking beyond the law to the morality behind it.

Matthew 5:27-37

27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Now, some have taken this as a command to mutliate ourselves. AIn’t so. Jesus used hyperbole — and he was aware that men look, will look (which any woman is also aware of).

We can like Job make a covenant not to look lusfully at a girl, but most of us fail at this. In the same way, Divorce was legal under the Law of Moses. But Christ saw it, correctly, as a method to manufacture serial monogamy — which he called adultery. Divorcing that tradesman to marry a noble was accepted and approved behaviour among the Romans of his time, and Herod had taken this to the exterme of marrying his cousin — these were not mere academic topics.

On the issue of oaths, I note that the more fascistic and corrupt a state is the more elaborate the oaths become. The simple “Yes” that a British or German officer said in the Edwardian empire became a pagan ceremony in Germany by 1937: the same elaborate oath-taking and pledges of allegiance occur in the USA — which I see as an aberration.  Our yes should be sufficient, but given we are corrupt — the laws of oath taking exist.

You see, the kingdom of God is not corrupt. We are. The reason that this passage is unpalatable and difficult is because as a congregation and as individuals we tolerate these very things. We are fallen, Saved by grace, yes, but fallen.

And this is why we continually need to be challenged, and turn from those sins that we quite like. We need to talk more about repentance and the law, and have less soft therapeutic speak in our conversations.  That means we will be accused of being Puritans (or Methodists, by people who cannot tell the difference). If we are, we should be glad, because we have returned to our role — being light, being salt, proclaiming the gospel, using words only when needed.

You fool!.

A lot of people who are in the seeker friendly branch of evangelism talk about self esteem, and hate, hate, hate the old hellfire and damnation.

They miss the point. THe most scary preaching ever given, the most judgmental, the most frightening… is in the Gospe, and was stated by Christ himself.

Matthew 5:21-26

21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder'; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Now, the word “fool” was Raca — which is equivelant to about the most obscene word you can drop. The unacceptatble words. Words that will get you into fights.

Now anger is inevitable. We end up saying and thinking these things. And when we stand up for the truth, we are called these things.

Instead, we are told to settle, to reconcile. Not to stand on our rights. To work towards restoring relationships.

Not destroying them, and causing division.

This is a direct affront and assault to the idols of this age: our sense of rights, which mean entitlement, and our pride, which we call self-esteem.

In this society, these messages are a secular form of blasphemy.  We will be called fools, or worse. And that will damn them.

Unpopularity cont’d.

Concerning the idea of being unpopular, Sixintnadaho  thought I was wrong He commented…

We’re supposed to dominate the civilization with The Law and the righteousness that comes from it. This is nothing more than another dose of that “surrender” crap, a so-called “Christianity” with no spine nor a brain connected to the nerve bundle that runs through it.

…

You aren’t “popular” because there is no reason on this earth nor in heaven to respect you. Righteous men of action gain respect. Their counterparts do not, and since wringing one’s hands are now the only visible “works” that today’s so-called and quite lower case “christians” engage in, well, the current incantation of the cafeteria belief is for effeminate losers, women, and no one else.

Well, this comment is golden. It is the use of shaming language and, honestly, I find this amusing. The idea that those who follow Christ is biblical. And the idea that shaming or criticizing people because they say that it is hard to follow Christ, you are going to get opposition… is amusing.

Me? I sit in my pew in a very liberal town and work on raising my boys right. And do good in a socialised health system ( But we get these people saying that we should be able to lead and dominate society, when society has moved away from Christ and (this is where I agree) the Church, particularly in the US, has become corrupted and infected with the ideas of liberation and feminism.  We are left with commenators and preachers telling men to Man U (TM) or falling into theonomy. From Dalrock

What makes the practice of only correcting men all the more craven is how this goes against all principles of leadership.  Whether you are in business or the military, only the very worst leaders reprimand a subordinate leader in front of his own subordinates unless they are going to immediately take them out of their leadership role.  Even then, doing so has the risk of undermining the position itself.  If generals make a habit of criticizing lieutenants (even just those who are performing poorly) in front of enlisted men, even good lieutenants will find it very difficult to lead.  This is an awful practice in cases where there is generally good discipline, and the very worst thing a leader can do in cases where the authority of leadership is already in question.

In the case of the Church, pastors are repeatedly criticizing husbands and fathers in front of their wives and children, and they are doing this with full knowledge that the wives are already in open revolt.  This is after all why they won’t ever speak on topics the wives disapprove of.

Then they walk away and expect the father to act in the role of head of the household.

Deep breath. Let’s look at today’s reading.,.  You want leadership. Look at Paul: Persecuted, ignoring what pressure he was under, and doing what was correct

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

9You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

If you want to stand, if you want to bear witness, If you simply want to life a righteous life in this corrupt society and this corrupt church, you will be criticized. If you are lucky.

There are people paying for their witness with their lives. But we have two hopes. The first is that God will see us as faithful (which is why we should be cleaning our own lives up) and the second is that history is written by those who turn up. And as Feminism in the Church is a form of birth control, the liberals are disappearing as the conservatives joyfully procreate.

We may be unpopular, but Christ controls the Kings of this earth. It is not our job to control all of society. It is our jobs to bear witness.

 

We are supposed to be unpopular.

Today is May Day. This Northern Holiday from ancient days was turned into Roodmas in England, and International Workers’ Day by the left.

In my view, today is a good time to remind all beleivers that persecution and unpopularity is part of our lot.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Matthew 5:11-16

11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

We are persecuted because we are different. If we are not different, we are not persecuted. And this applies in all aspects of our lives, for the leaven of worldly thinking has dug deep, as Keoni notes.

Several years ago, I used to work with two women who were born again, evangelical Christians who both had teen-aged daughters. Both of them talked endlessly about their worries for their daughters getting the best education and career they could get as soon as they graduated from high school.

I once made the mistake of suggesting that the most important thing such young girls needed to consider was choosing good men to marry…far more important than what college they were trying to get into, what degree they would try to attain and what career path they wanted to pursue. I tried to explain to them that the biggest decisions with the most far reaching consequences for their lives that their daughters would ever face would be who they decide to mate with. Both ladies didn’t even consider my points. Both immediately argued that their daughters needed their educations and careers first and foremost, just in case they did get married and “it didn’t work out.” Of course, both of these ladies were the primary breadwinners in their family, so it’s not surprising they would feel this way.

They were simply following the new ideal of 21st century Churchianity – changing the Church’s prime directives to accommodate Feminist ideals.

The infiltration of Christian culture and morality by feminism (Cultural Marxism) is nearly complete.

We are not called to follow the herd. We are called to follow Christ. And the laws of nature. For most of us… burn. The way that this was managed, for generations, was to discipline the men — by hard study and work, sport and occupation — until they can stand on their own and support a woman.  At the same time, we encourged women to marry in their early 20s — to someone often five or so years older.

This worked. Women could have babies, knowing that there was enough income to live simply, and learn to manage the household. This allowed for a different path for women — being a mother then having a career, a passion. (Men did not have that option: they have jobs. To support their families. Most men are not stupid enough to think that work is fulfilling or meets their emotional needs).

For we are salt and light, not darkness and blandness. Which brings me to this story (From the true Nerd Princess of the Orthosphere — Alte)

This all reminds me, as I’m obviously too lazy to go for that jog so far, of our first date. He cracked a joke with a reference to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and I laughed so hard that I snorted water out of my nose and nearly fell off the chair. He just sat there, stone-faced, and said, “I can’t believe you’re laughing at that joke. I can’t believe you even understand it.”

I was like, *slam the table, rock back and forth giggling, cackle, drool some water, slam the table again, cackle some more, slap my knee* “OMG, that was soo f—ng funny!” He said. — and I’ll never forget this — “Other than having the manners of a drunken sailor, you’re perfect.”

Which just made me laugh even harder,

Let us thus go our and politely freak the unbeleivers.