This week's Bible study will be 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, verses 1-15

Contrasting Paul's Ministry vs. the Modern Church

[2^nd Corinthians chapter 11, verses 1-15]

As we saw from last week's study on chapter 10, the apostle Paul was admonishing the early church about being too proud of themselves and the accomplishments of their ministries, writing that “if anyone boasts, let him boast in the Lord”. Today as we begin 2^nd Corinthians chapter 11, Paul continues with this same train of thought, contrasting his ministry to that of his contemporaries. As he does so, we find some interesting parallels between his writing and the state of the modern church. Having pointed that out, let's begin this week's study at verse 1:

“I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous of you with a Godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may some how be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those 'super-apostles'. I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.” (2 Corinthians 11, verses 1-6, NIV)

It is pretty obvious from this passage of Scripture that there were already churches in existence that were preaching and teaching their own versions of the true Gospel, presumably in competition with each other rather than undertaking the harvest of souls in unity with common purposes and unified goals in mind. Here we have written documentation of the start-up of denominations, and ultimately of religious cults, each one competing for members for primarily financial reasons. But Paul wrote, “I promised you to one husband, to Christ...”. Jesus, and He alone, is the head of the greater Church. This means that anyone who is a pastor like I am – whether it's a Web church like this or 'brick and mortar' is besides the point – needs to keep in mind that it's not our church, it's His. Moreover, Jesus taught that the Law of Moses – the first 5 books of the Old Testament – was going to be replaced by the New, which is the sacrifice and rebirth of Jesus Christ for all our sins. The Old Law, Jesus said, “was written on tablets of stone”, while the new one would be “written on tablets of human hearts”. Prior to Christ, the Temple where Jesus taught was the church. But after Christ, the church exists within us, and we carry it around with us everywhere we go. As we do so, we do it as much for our own benefit as we do for others so we can be living examples of what it means to live as Christians and as followers of Jesus Christ, and Him alone.

Yet Paul documents his concern that these early churches would somehow be “led astray”. The advice Paul gave the early church regarding this matter is even more relevant today than it was when these words were first written 2,000 years ago. If, upon hearing the gospel being preached or taught, some “new teaching” is encountered that does not agree with us either mentally or spiritually, then do not follow that pastor, teacher or evangelist. At the very least, we should test their spirits to see if they are from God. This is exactly what Paul was writing in the vernacular of his day. He then goes on to imply that just because the church leader is a “trained speaker”, does not make what he or she is saying correct. This is ever so true in the modern church today, and I will write more about that in a minute, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. So before I comment any further, let's continue beginning at verse 7.

“Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the Gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions if Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2^nd Corinthians 11, verses 7-15, NIV)

The first sentence, which comprises verse 7, should give us all pause when we contrast what Paul wrote to the practices of the modern Church, regardless of denomination (or not). Paul preached free of charge!! So when he preached, he didn't pass around a collection basket, right? Evidently not. In fact, Paul mentions receiving financial assistance from a church in Macedonia, presumably a neighboring state or territory, because he received none from the church at Corinth. So we have a first generation apostle who preaches and teaches the Word while apparently never asking for money. And yet most, if not all, of his daily needs were met. How often do we see that in the modern church? Almost never, as a few minutes of viewing Christian television or an hour spent in worship at any given church on Sunday morning will attest to. You can't help but notice that there is no love lost between Paul and the cult churches of his day, since he calls such pastors and teachers “false apostles” and “deceitful workmen”. When I ask myself who this reminds me of in the present, I immediately think about all the preachers who insist on one tenth our incomes (which for me, as a retiree who ministers and blogs without compensation, would be a financial disaster) It reminds me of a preacher I once met while out in West Texas (I will decline to name the city) who, upon learning that I am disabled (I suffer from PTSD plus a lot of other stuff), offered to ”heal” me in exchange for a $1,000.00 donation to his church. I respectfully declined.

Paul does not mince any words regarding these bogus apostles when he writes, “I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.” I gather from this that – aside from the competition between churches that Paul mentioned in verses 4 and 5 above – there were pride issues that infected some of these early churches as well. It's as if Paul makes a point of saying, “I refuse to play the childish games these other pseudo-churches are playing”. It's possible that there was a little of “my church/religion is better than yours” types of games going on between some of those congregations, and Paul was exercising his leadership authority by telling them that they needed to quit all that immature behavior and start acting like adults. There are no small number of religious people today who are guilty of this very thing, and I think that – with the impending return of Jesus for His people – it would be the very thing that would compel all of us to get our act together and get ready for Messiah's return. That, for today's purposes, is “job one” for every human being, not just every Christian. In the past, competition used to be a good thing, but it has become outmoded and counterproductive here in the early 21^st century. There are simply too many people, meaning we had better learn how to share instead of the worn-out practice of winning the prize and then keeping it all to ourselves. Cooperation must therefore replace competition as the new social and church model of today. “Love your neighbor as yourself”. This is what Jesus would do, it's what He taught, and we would all do well to do the same.

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America's choice: stop the killing or have a revolution

Racism Has No Place in Law Enforcement or Anywhere Else

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

I once saw a one-hour documentary on cable TV that was all about neo-Nazi skinheads, their swastika tattoos, and how they are organized into gangs that operate outside the law. The extreme racial hatred of these people was chronicled by this cable channel in raw detail. It showed how these organizations recruit new members over the Internet, and how they support themselves by selling drugs and guns. I clearly remember how appalled I was as I watched this documentary at all the hate and violence perpetrated by these racist organizations. It made me think about the first book of John in the New Testament and what it says about this very topic.

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him.” (I John 2, verses 9 through 11; NIV)

Fast forward to the present, and we had two very public examples this past week of institutionalized racism. First and foremost is the death this past week of Sandra Bland while in police custody in a Texas jail. The death, as of today, has been ruled a suicide – a dubious ruling considering the young lady was in there for a broken tail-light and for resisting being jailed for that charge. Both charges were misdemeanors, particularly the tail-light offense. Even if the charge of resisting arrest was made a felony by the arresting officer, it would surely have been reduced later in court. My point here is that that young woman had no reason to commit suicide. She had everything going for her, including an imminent start at a new job. So I regard the Texas coroner's ruling her death a suicide to be rather suspect. But I think the real issue here is that the original reason she was pulled over by that Texas state trooper was racial profiling. Had she not been an African-American woman with out-of-state license plates, she would be working at her new job and loving it right about now.

The second example of racism came from none other than Hulk Hogan, the pro wrestler who was caught on tape making a racist rant at some Black person who had evidently made him angry. Hogan's contract with the WWF has been terminated as a result, and it serves Mr. Hogan right. Hulk Hogan has been forced into retirement, at least for now, which is probably a good idea, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Ask people if they love God or not and the vast majority will say yes, excluding the atheists. Yet how many of us harbor hate, intolerance and mistrust towards groups of people who are different from us for various reasons? Religious differences, race, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation and economic status are some examples of what I mean. We can't love God and at the same time hate that which He has created. This can range from laughing at a racial joke all the way up to mass murder in churches or movie theaters. The underlying message implied by these things is that there are some people who think that they are somehow better than everybody else. God created us all and He sees us as equals. It is time for these people to begin to see themselves as peers as God has commanded us to. Otherwise, things can go terribly wrong in a hurry. In this next quote the apostle John, the younger half-brother of Jesus, takes this a step further.

“If anyone says,'I love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (I John 4, verses 20-21; NIV)

If there is one thing we can say about this passage of Scripture, it is that John tells it like it really is. He minces no words with this last quote, “whoever loves God must also love his brother”. That was not just an idea or a suggestion. This is how we are to be conducting ourselves in everyday living. If we love God, then we are to love that which he has created. “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen”. It's hard to get any more blunt and direct than that. So, people who are racially prejudiced and hate-filled but still go to church, do so in vain! They are committing an injustice against others by their racism, which is why racism is an injustice in God's eyes. Does the Bible have anything to say about injustice? In fact it has volumes of commentary and Godly commands that humankind is charged with the task of following. Isaiah 30, verse 18 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”. Zechariah chapter 7, verse 9 says, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” Here is one Bible verse that I can truly say that Texas state trooper violated when he racially profiled Sandra Bland, making himself indirectly responsible for her untimely demise. And Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke's gospel, “Woe to you, Pharisees, because you give God a tenth [of everything], but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” (Luke chapter 11, verse 42, NIV) Aside from law enforcement, many contemporary American churches would also be wise to begin obeying Christ in this regard.

There are many varieties of bigotry, intolerance and prejudice. It can be racial. Do you hate black or white people? What about the Latino immigrants, who are in fact economic refugees from Mexico and Central America? It can be gender-based. Are you a guy who hates women or vice versa? There are people like that, more than one might think. Speaking of sex, do you hate gay people? We may not agree with their lifestyle but that doesn't give us the right to hate them. Although we believe the Bible says homosexuality is a sin as the majority of Christians do, that give us no license to hate the sinner. Just because they are different than you doesn't make them any worse or yourself any better. Sexual sin is still sexual sin, and questions about same-sex as opposed to opposite sex attraction are, to me, besides the point. The same goes for age discrimination. Ask any older worker who has been turned down for a job in favor of a younger candidate. I've walked a mile in those shoes myself. What about homeless people? Do you tend to not tolerate or to fear the homeless? Economic discrimination is the worst kind of prejudice because it affects the largest group of people, since 99% of America's wealth is squarely in the hands of the top 1% of the US population. What is the antidote for this social sickness? How do we overcome all the artificial barriers that constitute hate, intolerance and prejudice? How can we put forth fundamental change in these areas? For the answer to this pressing question, let's refer one last time to the apostle John.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.......There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4; verses 7-12, 18-19; NIV)

Love is the perfect eraser for hate. Bigotry, intolerance and prejudice are based on fear – fear of what we don't understand – and hate, which is pure evil. To overcome this, try volunteering in an inner city ministry where you live, or maybe at a food bank or in a homeless shelter. It will open your eyes to a whole different world. Hunger in America is real, and it is currently ever-present. The middle class is disappearing. The big multinational corporations have exported all the good middle class jobs for pennies on the dollar to emerging countries and economies worldwide. At this point, the only thing left that “we the people” can do about it is an outright revolt. In that event, our churches could be a very good place to start, whether it be for ministry, community outreach or revolution. But, if churches aren't your first choice, there are lots of other nonprofits out there such as Goodwill, the Veterans Association and so on. Better yet, start a movement of your own. By volunteering or being a missionary in the poorest parts of your city or town, that is just one way we can combat racism as an entire nation. From this kind of a ministry we can gain understanding, from understanding tolerance, from tolerance compassion, and from compassion empathy. These are the antidotes for racism, bigotry, prejudice and intolerance. This is how we as a nation can stop hate in its tracks. This is how we as a united American people can ensure there are no more Sandra Blands. Hate is no longer OK, it isn't even tolerable for those with a strong sense of conscience and a deep desire for justice. You will be surprised at what a positive effect this can have on your outlook on life. And the God of peace, a holy peace that is beyond normal human comprehension, will be with you all.

This week'sBible study will be 2nd Corinthians chapter 10

Let Those Who Boast Do So In The Lord

(2^nd Corinthians chapter 10)

For this week's study we'll be going over chapter 10 of 2^nd Corinthians in our ongoing chronological study of the writings of the apostle Paul. When we concluded chapter 9 last week, Paul wrote about – among other things – how God's grace and human generosity go hand in hand, calling it an “indescribable gift”. In chapter 10, Paul seems to move on to the topic of differentiating ourselves from the rest of the world as well as defending the Gospel and keeping it separate from the rest of the world by preserving its sanctity. Let's begin at verse 1.

“By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you – I, Paul, who is 'timid' when face to face with you, but 'bold' when away! I beg you that when I come I may not be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up after the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 1-6, NIV)

It appears from the first verse that Paul may have had some difficulty speaking in front of groups, particularly during the early years of his ministry, considering his remark about being timid. But I doubt that this lasted for a very long time, and there is no question that toward the end of his ministry he evolved into a bold and accomplished public speaker. But he reasons with the Corinthian church in this letter, comparing his apparent timidity with the gentleness and loving kindness of Christ. Notice that he goes on to point out that the Corinthian church should be living the same way, exemplifying the peace and gentleness of Christ. And if we must defend ourselves – which can and does happen – we will use Spiritual weapons that are infinitely more powerful than any weapon made by man, as Paul wrote: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up after the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We have the Spiritual power within every one of us to vanquish our enemies without ever having to lay a hand upon them. That is the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is what happens to every believer who asks for it. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit gives us supernatural perception and uncanny wisdom, and I'm speaking from experience. It's not that I think I'm smart and cunning, but rather it's the Spirit that resides within all who believe that gives genuine followers of Christ these abilities. For anyone reading this who does not currently have these Spiritual attributes, all one has to do is ask for it. “Ask, and you shall receive,” Jesus said. “Knock, and the door will be opened. Seek, and you will find.” Here we are 2,000 years later, and these truths remain the same as they were when first spoken by Jesus Christ. These abilities are available to every one who seeks, who asks God, and who knocks on doors looking for the Spirit of the Lord.

“You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ as much as he. For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, 'His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing'. Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.” (2 Corinthians 10; verses 7-11, NIV)

From the looks of these four verses, it appears that there may have been a few people in that congregation who questioned – and possibly even challenged – Paul's authority within the early church. It is also possible, judging from the way this passage is worded, that there were a small but very vocal minority of people in the Corinthian church who wanted to be in charge of things – not to serve others, but instead launching what amounts to a power grab from within the church for their own enrichment. And so I think that Paul is admonishing such people when he writes, “If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ as much as he”. In other words, Paul is referring to his previous writing about equality earlier in this book, a concept and way of living that was similarly preached by Christ. Understand that back in the first century A.D. when this was taking place, the concept of human equality was radical stuff. Jesus preached equality to those who would hear him, and it was one of the reasons He was crucified. When Jesus walked the earth, women and minorities had few if any rights. Men were considered superior to women, many others lived their lives as slaves, never tasting freedom, and people of other races and nationalities were despised. The basic message that Christ was trying to convey to us is that if only we were all equal, there would be nothing left to fight about. It sounds like pretty smart advice to me. Now let's finish up today's study, beginning at verse 12.

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case had we not come to you, for we did not get as far as you with the Gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But, 'let him who boasts boast in the Lord' (Jer. 9:24). For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10, verses 12-18, NIV)

The first couple of verses are clearly describing something that has been going on within the greater Church ever since its inception – preachers and teachers of the Word who “compare themselves with themselves”. I once served as a musician under a pastor who was like that. I didn't stay there very long either. It is most unfortunate – and for me sometimes infuriating – that there are some pastors who claim to have a special line of communication with God that no one else has. This kind of erroneous and egocentric teaching – which is dangerous because that's how cults get started – has no business in a real house of worship regardless of denominational affiliation (or not). I would even go so far as to say that any pastor who is operating his/her church in such a manner risks bringing judgment upon themselves for causing their flock to engage in idolatry by worshiping the messenger instead of the message and the One who brought this message of salvation to us. The fact that this is going on within quite a few modern churches is part of what is causing people to leave the church in droves – that and other things like the sexual abuse of young boys within the Catholic church combined with all the financial shenanigans that are ongoing in many churches of all denominations.

Paul then sums up everything and wraps things up for this chapter when he writes, “'let him who boasts boast in the Lord' (Jer. 9:24). For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” And how do we tell which ones the Lord commends apart from those whom He does not? To begin with, listen to what they say and teach, and how they say and teach it. Is what is being preached being presented with a legalistic slant? If so, that is contrary to the teachings of Christ. Does the message glorify the messenger or the Savior to whom it is attributed? If the answer is the former rather than the latter, you're in a cult church. Leave quietly, but get out of there immediately. Finally, does the church teach and preach a gospel that “blesses” material wealth and preaches a “prosperity gospel”? If the church is constantly asking for more money, if it insists on “tithing 10 percent”, or if entering the sanctuary on Sunday morning is like walking into a fashion show, you're in the wrong church. Paul was saying essentially the same thing when he wrote the verses above, and it is a teaching that I follow constantly in my walk with the Lord. You all would be wise to do the same unless you're already doing so. In that case, keep up the good work. Until next week, then. Shalom.

I may not be a Papal devotee, but calling the pope a "commie" really is too much

If Right-Wing Christians Accuse the Pope of Being a Communist, Would They Accuse Jesus of the Same?

By Rev. Paul J. Bern

By now many of you already know about comments that Pope Francis made this past week during his tour of South America about his views on capitalism, calling extreme cases of inequality and obscene profits at the expense of millions, “the dung of the devil”. Religious conservatives from North America, Western Europe and Australia, all of which are the economic centers of capitalism, and particularly the United States, have derided the pope's comment unanimously, calling him a Communist or a “commie”. It looks to me like the top 1% of the global economic pecking order just gave themselves away by doing so. By bombarding the pope with all kinds of insults and sarcastic comments, they have shown their true colors. They are idolaters, and the god they worship is money. Jesus himself said it best: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6: 24 NIV)

They've decided that the Pope is a "Marxist," pointing out that Francis speaks often about "the structural causes of poverty," the "idolatry of money" and the "new tyranny of unfettered capitalism”. Obviously, say the Pontiff's pious critics, that's commie talk. The clincher for them was when Francis wrote an exhortation in which he asked in outrage: "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?" See, cried the carpers, that's proof that Francis is the Red Pope! But wait – I'm not a Catholic, but that was a very good question he asked, one ripe with the moral wrath that Jesus himself frequently showed toward the callous rich and their "love of money." Indeed, the Pope's words ring with the deep ethics you find in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and in his admonitions to serve the poor. Would they call Jesus a commie, too? Probably.

The apostle James set the record straight for all Christians when he wrote, “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even as he goes about his business.” (James 1, verses 9, 10 and 11 NIV) This, to say the least, is a far cry from capitalism and all the trappings of bounteous wealth. Let's not forget the comments Jesus made about this when He said, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but they who humble themselves will be exalted”; and again it is written, “The last shall be first, and the first last.”

The early church embraced these values without reservation, as it is written, “They devoted themselves to the teaching and to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the Temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added daily to their number those that were being saved.” (Acts 2, verses 42-47 NIV) OK, let's ask ourselves a simple question – does the passage of Scripture above resemble capitalism? The obvious answer is, not in the slightest. We live in an age of instant everything, including every form of merchandise one can think of. We can even go onto social media and make instant friends if we want. In a way, we have lost some of the face-to-face contact that was commonplace less than a generation ago. But that's only what I'm seeing on the surface. As I look down into the depth and substance of the above Bible quote as opposed to capitalism, I'm seeing everything and everyone in common with each other. This has been tried before in American history with the hippie communes of the 1960's and '70's. Although there are a few still in existence today, most of them are gone now. I think the main reason is that they had everything in common like Acts chapter 2, but they left Jesus out of the equation for their success.

Let me give you all one more example of this, which can be found in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 8, verses 13-15, and I quote: “Our desire is not that others may be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little'.” Of course, the right-wingers will vehemently declare, “That's socialism! That's a threat to the American way of life!” You've heard all that before, but consider that that's the same as saying that Christianity is a 'clear and present danger' to capitalism and democracy. Based on this fact, that's like calling Jesus a threat to America and to capitalism. But isn't that exactly what the global elitists are saying? All for us and nothing for you, does that not reflect their attitude?

Never mind, say the 1%-ers! Their rightist viewpoint is that diabolical liberals – such as Marxists or Democratic Socialists like presidential candidate Bernie Sanders – are out to ban capitalism entirely. Just think – if that were to occur, greed would no longer be in style. And that's always a good thing. The apostle James wrote passionately about this in his letter to the churches: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the Last Days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men who were not opposing you.” James 5: 1-6 NIV) Does this sound a lot like capitalism to you? Doesn't this read like a description of the future American prison-industrial complex? Has anyone reading this ever performed work for which they did not get paid? Or have you ever completed work for which you were eventually paid, but not until weeks or even months later? I have experienced all of the above, and I seriously doubt that I am alone in having such experiences with employers. Welcome to capitalism 21^st century style, where 'we the people' have been reduced to economic slavery. Wages are stagnant and unrealistically low. Low pay is not OK. Those who went on strike for a $15.00 per hour minimum wage were a lot closer to being scriptural than they realized. By the same token, many of the globalist elites who keep wages artificially low and trample on our Constitutional rights are far closer to being demonic than they care to acknowledge.

Diamonds Women in Wisdom: Don't Let Anyone Crush Your Spirit

Diamonds Women in Wisdom: Don't Let Anyone Crush Your Spirit: Good Morning! I love doing what I do for in life, and probably so do you, but what do we do when things start to get a little sour around us...

This week's Bible study will move on to 2nd Corinthians chapter 9

God Loves a Cheerful Giver

(2^nd Corinthians chapter 9)

This week we will have a look at Second Corinthians chapter 9, where the apostle Paul basically continues his train of thought where he left off at the end of chapter 8. The topic is the various forms of service that one can perform on behalf of God, but it is intertwined with an emphasis on the intangible, valuing a good heart, mind and spirit over material wealth and possessions. It is clear from Paul's writing that God is far more interested in our availability than our physical ability in our desire for service to the King. But He also urges us to have a desire to be generous, knowing that the good we do now will come back to us in the future at a time when it is needed the most. Bearing that in mind, let's begin at verse 1.

“There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we – not to say anything about you – would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.' (2 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 1-9, NIV)

The first thing I notice is Paul's reference to enthusiasm, one of the positive human emotions. You will recall from last week's study of the second half of chapter 8 that the apostle Paul cited Titus as an example of this same enthusiasm, and he exhorted the Corinthian church to follow Titus' example. He then goes on to tell them not to disappoint him with a lackluster response, but he does it in a friendly sort of way, not being overbearing or judgmental. We would all do well in this regard to follow Paul's example, never being pushy or arrogant with regard to our faith. It's our responsibility as Christians, no matter what church we belong to (or not), to be on fire for Christ in such a way as to inspire others and to draw them in rather than drive them away. Jesus commented about this himself when He taught the apostles, “He who does not gather with me, scatters.”

It is at this point that Paul immediately goes deeper, something he does over and over again in his letters to the churches. He wrote, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” So, anyone who is stingy or selfish should not be surprised if they don't get much out of life. They certainly won't get much from God. Generous people, on the other hand, seem to do better in life and be much better adjusted and adaptable people than those who are less inclined. I'm speaking from experience here, and the “high” I get from helping total strangers charges me up Spiritually and energizes me to continue in His Majesty's service. By the same token, when we give to the church or to those in need as Paul writes, we should give whatever we can because we want to, not because we feel like we have to. This decision should be based on whatever is on our hearts regarding one's decision to step in and render assistance, and we arrive at this decision by prayer. If we are unsure of whether to give or not, or how much, ask God about it and let Him instruct you.

This portion of one verse in 2^nd Corinthians flies in the face of what some churches are currently teaching with regard to giving. There are a good many pastors and teachers of the Word who are erroneously teaching that we must “tithe” ten percent of our income. As I wrote in a recent study of part of chapter 8, the concept of tithing is based on Old Testament teaching contained within the Law of Moses, the first 5 books of the Old Testament, and it is rooted in Judaism. Since Jesus Christ – who was also Jewish by birth – came to fulfill that law by His supreme sacrifice that He made for us all, Jesus has literally replaced the old law with the new, a law that is written “not on tablets of stone but on human hearts” as the Bible says. So there is no need to adhere to the old ways any longer. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life”, and He said, “no one comes to the Father except through me”. In this same way our giving should be to emulate Christ and follow His teachings, not because somebody says we “must tithe” 10% of our incomes. Real Christians give and expect nothing in return. And now let us continue starting at verse 10.

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved ourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace that God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9, verses 10-15, NIV)

As you can see, Paul continues to go deeper with the concept of generous giving based on a genuine desire to do so rather than as a duty, particularly in light of the “rule” about “tithing 10 percent”. Paul wrote, “ ...he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion...”. Clearly the “one who supplies seed to the sower” is a reference to God the supplier and Christ as the sower. They in turn, Paul wrote, increase our “store of seed” so that our “harvest of righteousness” comes into full bloom. This is an unmistakable reference to the righteousness of Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and to His blood which He shed for all our sins. The shedding of His blood on the cross at Golgotha covers over all the bad things we have done, our imperfections, our character defects, and especially all our failures in life. God covers over our past through His son so that we can better focus on our future, even where we will spend eternity – and all because of Christ. Thanks be to God indeed for His indescribable gift, and I try to thank Him every day for it in my prayers. I recommend that you do the same as a sign of your selfless service to the Lord.

Paul closes out his message and finishes making his point by encouraging us with the words, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion”. Remember what Jesus taught his apostles, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. But let me clarify something here, and it has to do with what I view as more incorrect teaching on the part of many churches concerning being “made rich”. This is not purely a reference to man-made wealth or mere material possessions, but instead notice that the text reads that we will be “made rich in every way”. It looks to me like that includes the things you can't buy in the store, such as having a loving family or a close circle of friends (things not everyone gets to have), a successful professional life (ditto), and a rich spiritual life enriched by the knowledge of the deep things of God. Being truly rich can and does often mean possessing the unknowable things of God that enlighten us only after years of diligent study and humble devotion as a servant of Christ. It also includes the intangible things and essences that go along with being a follower of Christ, such as patience, gentleness, kindness, tolerance, understanding, empathy and compassion. These are the riches we should all be seeking, and those who seek to do so emulate both the apostle Paul and Christ Jesus the Son of the living God. It is these things, the sacred things and that of quality, depth and substance that comprise a successful Christian life. The year, make and model of your vehicle, the technology one owns or accesses, your clothing, the size of your house and its decor, all are utterly meaningless in the life of a real live Christian, one who walks the walk as well as or better than they talk the talk. It is the intangible things that make up the being and the essence of a real Christian. That's one of the best ways to tell the phony ones from the real ones. Let's keep this in mind as we go through the rest of this week. If we're going to be Christians, let's get real about it and become the genuine article for Jesus. That's where the true riches are.

How to tell a real church from a phoney one

3 False Teachings to Watch Out For

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

This week I want to alert everyone who reads this to be aware of certain things that are being taught in some churches as being factual and prophetic when in fact they are neither. These three erroneous teachings, in no particular order, are the 'prosperity gospel', tithing, and a “pre-tribulation Rapture”. Allow me a little of your time to sort through these because this is stuff that people, be they Christian or otherwise, need to be made aware of. Otherwise one may find themselves on the wrong road, forcing them to back-track. I cannot stand idly by and allow this to occur, so here we go.

In the prosperity gospel, also known as the “Word of Faith,” the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite—God uses the believer. Word of Faith, or 'prosperity theology', sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God's will. The prosperity gospel movement closely resembles some of the destructive greed sects that infiltrated the early church. Paul and the other apostles were not accommodating to or conciliatory with the false teachers who propagated such heresy. They identified them as dangerous false teachers and urged Christians to avoid them. The pursuit of wealth is a dangerous path for Christians and one which God warns about: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1^st Timothy 6:10). If riches were a reasonable goal for the godly, Jesus would have pursued it. But He did not, preferring instead to have no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20) and teaching His disciples to do the same. Let's also not forget that the only disciple concerned with wealth was Judas.

James chapter 4, verses 13-15 clearly contradicts the prosperity gospel: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live ad do this or that.'” Far from speaking things into existence in the future, we do not even know what tomorrow will bring or even whether we will be alive. Instead of stressing the importance of wealth, the Bible warns against pursuing it. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). In sharp contrast to the Word of Faith emphasis on gaining money and possessions in this life, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). The irreconcilable contradictions between prosperity teaching and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is best summed up in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

The “pre-tribulation rapture” is based on the rapture of the Church as written in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 15-18, among other places. In this passage of Scripture, the Lord returns for His people, his Church, and for His Bride, which are one and the same. The 'rapture', as it's called, coincides with the Great Tribulation as foretold in the books of Revelation, Daniel, Zechariah and others in the old and new testaments. The reign of the Antichrist, as foretold in Daniel chapter 12, will last for exactly three and a half years. But in the very next sentence it says that prior to that, there will be a period of 1,335 days (about 3.6 years) of turmoil upon the earth, with wars, plagues, pestilences and much death being inflicted on humankind. It is this period of time, which signifies that first part of the Great Tribulation (as prophesied in Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21), that is in question by these pre-tribulation people. The pre-tribulation rapture simply says that all followers of Christ will be taken up at the very beginning of the combined 7-year tribulation period (that is, the 1,335 days plus the 3.5-year reign of the Antichrist just before Jesus' return). This implies that Christians – particularly American Christians – will not have to endure any of the Great Tribulation period. Brothers and sisters, nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible clearly states in Revelation 13, verses 6-7, “He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander His name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” “He” in this passage refers to the Antichrist, and he clearly will wage war against Christianity – and the Antichrist will win up until his end comes, and it most certainly will!

Any Christian – including American Christians – who thinks they will escape persecution in the terrible times soon to come is delusional and self-deceiving. If any US resident who is reading this thinks they can stay safely barricaded in their gated and walled communities during the time of the Greast Tribulation – which according to prophecy will likely begin no later than the end of 2016 – I'm sorry but you are sadly mistaken. I realize I'm not going to be winning any popularity contests (especially in the US) for making that statement, but it is in your own best interests that the truth be told. The rule of the Antichrist will be global, meaning he'll be running the North American continent just like everywhere else. And yes indeed, some American Christians are going to wind up getting killed for refusing to worship the image of the Antichrist or take his mark. I fully expect to be one of these fortunate individuals. Yes, I wrote “fortunate” out of due deference to the apostle James, who wrote: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promise to those who love him.” (James chapter 1 verse 12 NIV) Jesus himself said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for their righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5, verses 11-12, NIV) So I tell you that we are not to fear persecution when it comes, and it is surely coming! Instead, the Bible commands us to embrace it!

The last thing I need to mention here is titheing. The word 'titheing' has its roots all the way back in the Old Testament to the books of Moses, in this case to Leviticus – it can also be found elsewhere too, but for the sake of brevity let me side-step that for now. The definition of titheing is the giving of 10% of one's income, or in ancient times one's crops or livestock, to the Lord. This had two purposes. The first and most important was as an atonement for sin, and the second was as a donation towards the upkeep of the Temple in Jerusalem as well as to the High Priests for their sustenance. But that was the Old Law, or Law of Moses as it is still called in synagogues to this very day. Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice which fulfilled Levitical law, which says there must be shedding of blood for our sins. Sorry if that seems too graphic for some people, but I didn't write any part of the Bible, I'm only a messenger.

But on Resurrection Sunday when Jesus rose from the grave to live forever and to be seated eternally at his Father's right hand, the New Testament, or law of Christ, not only supplanted but entirely replaced the Law of Moses. A new deal took effect – a fresh covenant! Jesus Christ is the new sacrifice, He is the new covenant and the fulfillment of the old one – all at the same time. Only Jesus can do that. What does the Bible tell us about this? “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3, verses 26-29, NIV)

OK, so if we are all heirs due to the sacrifice of Christ, then we are also all equals, am I right? At the very least, we would be Jewish by adoption in the eyes of God. So, it no longer matters how much we put into the offering basket, because Jesus has paid the price for us all. This teaching about tithing is cut from the same cloth as the pre-tribulation Rapture and the prosperity gospel. Virtually all of the modern churches are teaching the Old Testament concept of tithing, the giving of 10% of the profits, or of one's income, for the support of the Temple at Jerusalem and all the Levitical priests. Today in most churches, its members are still expected to “tithe” 10% of their income because the pastors haven't read their Bibles in so long they have forgotten what's in it. Sacrifice can be done in far more ways than merely giving money. The apostle Paul wrote something that I think is very timely concerning the modern Christian church and its “teachings” about titheing. “If the willingness is there”, Paul wrote, “the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” And again it is written, “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth', he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'” (Luke 21, verses 1-4, NIV) Notice that this is exactly the opposite of what most of the modern evangelical/Christian churches are teaching, especially those with a strong television presence. Give what you can to others first, and to the church second, according to your ability. “I desire mercy”, Jesus said, “not sacrifice”. The size of your offering does not matter. Real Christians will not judge your offering. Only the bogus ones will size you up. The real God won't judge your offering either.

Equality's origins aren't from the Declaration of Independence, it's from the Bible

Proving Our Love To Others

(2^nd Corinthians 8: 13-24)

Today we will be finishing Second Corinthians chapter 8 in our continuing studies of the writings of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. You will recall that I finished last week's study by writing that God is more interested in the quality of our sacrifices and good works than He is the quantity of them. Each believer is duty-bound to give to his or her church or to the charity of their choice, but only as God prompts them to and according to their ability. Meaning, it doesn't have to be exactly 10% as many churches are erroneously teaching today. I am on medical retirement, and I mostly live on a small monthly disability check. I can't work a full time job any more, and I make little or no money from this web site. So, if I were to give 10% of my income, I would run out of groceries and medicine well shy of the end of the month, which would be disastrous! There are millions more who are also in bad shape financially, some of them are worse off than myself. But my point here is that ten percent is the Old Testament law, but Jesus Christ came and gave His life to fulfill that Law. The debt has already been paid, so just give what you can – but don't be cheap either. Remember what the Bible says about that: God loves a cheerful giver. Sharing within or outside of the church is also not limited to financial support of these ministries. It can often be better to volunteer, or to donate unneeded items such as used clothing or household items. Sharing what you have, especially your valuable time, can have the greatest effect, and God will reward you just as well for doing these things in your life as He will in the eternity to come. Paul wrote timeless words to this effect nearly 2,000 years ago, and this is where this week's study will begin, beginning at verse 13.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there is equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 13-15, NIV)

These three verses written by Paul are the very essence of living a Christian life, aside from our total commitment to the Cross, the empty tomb, and all they represent. I help you when you're down on your luck, firmly believing that any of you would do the same for me if I were in need. Plus, in so doing we emulate the ultimate sacrifice of Christ by giving a little of each of ourselves, not by simply donating material stuff because you ran out of room for all that imported Chinese crap you bought at Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart or wherever. The sacrifices we make have to be real and the donations of money, time or goods must be genuine. God is watching all of us and He knows all our intentions whether they are good or bad. That is what Paul meant when he wrote that we are to “continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord”. This does not mean we have to go through life being scared to death of God – not at all! But it is a clear signal to all that we are to have the utmost reverence for God at all times.

I see two more factors in this heavenly equation that bear mentioning here. The first is the fact that the early churches were mutually beneficial to one another, as were the members of these churches of long ago. Your plentiful resources, Paul wrote, will enable you to help those less fortunate without expectation of repayment. During times of need, the reverse is true if any church is following Christ's teachings. So what we have here is a clear example of mutual cooperation for the benefit of all. Obviously if the world were run in this manner we would all be better off.

But what do we have today instead, and indeed for the entire history of humankind? I see people ferociously competing with each other – from individuals to whole companies all the way up to entire countries – for resources, for access to education and health care, constantly jockeying for position and seizing the advantage, continuously working against one another for power and control, which in the end are themselves illusions that exist only in the human mind! This is how wars get started, and replacing human competition at all levels with unconditional cooperation is the new social and organizational model for the 21^st century and beyond, both in and out of church.

The second thing I see here that bears mentioning is equality, to use Paul's exact word. As you can see from the above passage of Scripture, the concept of human equality that Thomas Jefferson wrote about so eloquently in the Declaration of Independence was based on the Bible, not a man-made ideology. One only need look around them today to see that inequality has persisted within humankind for our entire existence. Women still earn only 75% of what their male counterparts make in today's work force. Racial discrimination runs rampant throughout the world, and teaching unconditional equality to our kids is the best chance we have of stopping all of it. The buck stops with us! From my vantage point, ending institutional racial discrimination globally can best be accomplished one person at a time, it is something that I work at every day, and I encourage all who read this to do the same. Let's continue with our study now, beginning at verse 16.

“I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for all his service to the Gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way in which we distribute this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are the representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. (2 Corinthians 8, verses 16-24, NIV)

Paul is using Titus as an example of leading a Christian life, of having found “The Way”, as it was called back in the days of the early church. Titus was a man who worked alongside Paul, Barnabas, Peter and other apostles in the early church. Rather than focusing on Titus as a historical figure, which he most definitely was, allow me to zero in on what he did that made him such an honorable person to the apostle Paul. You will notice that these contributions by Titus did not involve money or goods, but were rather of a more intangible quality that is worth more in God's sight than mere riches. The first thing Paul writes is “he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.” Nobody was prodding Titus along to do a good job. He did that without being asked, and he was thrilled at the prospect of being able to render any assistance he could to the early church and to God.

But Paul doesn't stop there. The next thing he writes about Titus is, “he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering”. Titus was trustworthy! His mind was uncompromised by the world and the things in it, and that is what gave him the ability to be an honest man devoid of any deception. He then called Titus a “fellow worker” and calls him one of “the representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.” Paul could not have given Titus a higher compliment than that, and there is no question in my mind that it was the Spirit of Christ speaking to Titus through Paul. Titus is one more early believer that I look forward to meeting when I get to heaven some day, but Jesus will be the One who we all long to meet face to face. So I encourage and exhort everyone who reads this to get ready for that event. I can't tell you exactly when His return will occur, but it won't be long at all – of that you can be sure.

Independence day? How about independence from war and killing?

America's War Heritage and What It Does To Those Who Served

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

This Independence Day of 2015, I have decided to write about something that I write about every chance I get, and that topic is the immorality of waging war. In this case, it's this anti-war message combined with all the trappings of the 4^th of July that I am blending to make today, July 4^th, 2015 as Independence From War Day. With the population of the planet continuing to rise we are faced with the stark choice of learning to live together in peace and harmony or to face mutual annihilation. The horrors of the modern battlefield are the result of ever more powerful and formidable weapons. The tremendous firepower of modern military weaponry is so deadly and so accurate that the results of these attacks can be etched into the minds and psyches of the war's veterans forever. These brave men and women were oftentimes exposed to chemical weapons that have left them permanently damaged. It's an unfortunate and troubling fact that one out of five returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will come home mentally or physically disabled by their exposure to chemical weapons and depleted uranium ammunition. According to channel4.com, “An estimated 48,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were homeless in 2013, according to figures from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.” I understand last year's number was over 60,000. And all because of lies about WMD's, because what America's military was really after was the oil.

I have found four examples from the last ten years of what can go wrong when these people come home from the battle front. Consider the case of John Allen Muhammad, (formerly John Allen Williams). In her memoir, “Scared Silent”, Mildred Muhammad, the later of his two ex-wives, writes that her husband went to the 1991 Gulf War a "happy," "focused, and "intelligent" man, who returned home "depressed," "totally confused," and "violent," making her fear for her life. In their briefs, Muhammad's appeals lawyers stressed that his "severe mental illness" never came up at trial, where he was allowed to represent himself despite obvious mental incompetence. (Till the end, he maintained his innocence, claiming that at the time of the killing spree he was in Germany for dental work.) In seeking clemency and a stay of execution, Muhammad's lawyers presented psychiatric reports diagnosing Schizophrenia and brain scans documenting profound malformations consistent with psychotic disease. Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor Virginia Governor Tim Kaine were impressed. According to Governor Kaine, "crimes that are this horrible, you just can't understand…." And one day before Veterans Day, John Allen Muhammad was executed by lethal injection.

Mental disorders from depression to mood swings, thought disorders, violent outbursts, and delusions are not uncommon among Gulf War veterans in addition to physical symptoms such as rashes, vertigo, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and neurological diseases like Parkinson's, ALS, and brain tumors. According to Dr. William E. Baumzweiger, a California psychiatrist with expertise in psychiatric ailments of Gulf War veterans, "a small but significant number of Gulf War veterans become homicidal" seemingly "out of nowhere." Indeed as early as 1994, University of Texas epidemiologist Dr. Robert Haley, the preeminent researcher of Gulf War disease, had demonstrated that the brain scans of veterans with Gulf War illness were distinctly abnormal. Without a doubt Gulf War illness, as it's come to be called, is a profound, multi-system physical illness "caused" by brain-damaging chemicals to which troops were exposed by the Department of Defense. The RAC report identified three specific neurotoxins as certain culprits: anti-nerve gas pills that troops were forced to take (or risk court martial), insecticides and repellants that drenched troops' tents, clothing, and gear, and nerve gases including sarin (the killer chemical in the Tokyo subway attack) emitted into the air when U.S. forces dismantled and demolished a vast munitions storage facility in Khamisiyah, Iraq. Muhammad's lawyers pointed to childhood beatings as a cause of his psychiatric disease and brain malformation, claiming that Gulf War syndrome exacerbated these conditions. But they didn't mention that Mohammad had no history of mental illness before the war – and that during the war he was stationed in Khamisiyah.

It probably wouldn't have helped. In 2002, another Gulf War veteran, Louis Jones Jr. was executed for the 1995 rape and murder of a young female soldier, Pvt. Tracie Joy McBride. Like Sergeant Muhammad, Sergeant Jones was an exemplary soldier decorated in the war; but also like Muhammad, he returned from Desert Storm depressed, disoriented, and increasingly anti-social and bizarre. Like Muhammad, his defense was inadequate--but his appeals lawyer displayed MRIs and other scans of his abnormal brain, arguing that it was evidence of the brain damage from toxins he and other veterans with Gulf War disease were exposed to in-country. Supporting the petition for clemency was the written testimony of Dr. Haley that "there is now a compelling involuntary link between Mr. Jones' neurotoxic war injury and his inexplicable crime." Like Muhammad, Jones was stationed in Khamisiyah during the demolition, which poisoned thousands of troops and then thousands more as sarin plumes traveled far and wide, a fact the government hid for close to a decade.

And then there's the case of Timothy McVeigh. We have no scans of his brain, but we have ample reports of his mental state before and after Desert Storm, and evidence that the war changed him profoundly. In their biography, American Terrorist, Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck paint a vivid picture of McVeigh's days in the ground war. The enthusiastic young marksman, at first, happily followed orders and shot an Iraqi soldier manning a machine gun over a mile away. When a bloody mist replaced the soldier's head in his viewfinder, McVeigh was disturbed and discharged the rest of his rounds into empty desert sand. Later, after Saddam had agreed to a UN and Soviet brokered ceasefire, McVeigh was further shocked and shaken by orders to kill defeated Iraqi soldiers traveling home on the highway from Kuwait to Iraq (come to be known as the "Highway of Death" for the thousands that U.S. Forces corralled and massacred on the night of Feb 26, 1991). He watched the road in horror as dogs chewed on human limbs, and as human bodies without arms or legs tried to crawl away. In his famous 60 Minutes interview ten years later, McVeigh would tell the late Ed Bradley that the killing changed him. He said he found himself thinking, "I'm in this person`s country. What right did I have to come over to his country and kill him? …How did he ever transgress against me?" He went over thinking, "Not only is Saddam evil, all Iraqis are evil." But quickly it was "an entirely different ballgame… face to face…you realize they`re just people like you." He told Bradley that the government modeled brutal violence. In a 1998 prison essay he objected to the United State's continuing campaign against Iraq: It was the U.S. that had "set the standard" for "stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction.

McVeigh's experience in the Gulf War surely altered his thinking. But did it also alter his brain? What toxins might have entered his body on the highway where U.S. forces had just dropped cluster bombs and 500-pound bombs of napalm and depleted uranium, incinerating thousands vehicles and the people inside. He told Ed Bradley that when he came back "something didn`t feel right in me, but..I couldn`t say what it was." Psychological trauma alone, neuroscientists now tell us, affects not only psyches but brains. Sophisticated neuroimaging shows the brains of those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to be abnormal in areas regulating memory retrieval and inhibition (hippocampus), fearfulness and focus (pre-frontal cortex), and emotionality and lability (amygdala). The hippocampus of Alzheimer's sufferers are also shrunken, and the amygdala of bi-polar sufferers have enhanced activation similar to those with PTSD.

Unlike McVeigh, Muhammad, or Jones, Major Nidal Hasan was not exposed to war's toxins, nor to its traumas first-hand. Day after day, though, soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, or on their way back, relived before him attacks and atrocities they had inflicted, suffered, and/or witnessed, altering his views and his mind. In the beginning of his Army training and service, by all accounts, Nidal Hasan was proud to serve his country. His examination of the internal conflict within Muslim GIs asked to kill other Muslims - prohibited in the Koran-- started out an academic project to enhance the Army's understanding and management of the dilemma. But as Hasan's exposure to mentally disturbed soldiers' memories, fears, and guilt increased, so evidently did his own internal strife and, in all likelihood, the secondary PTSD common to family members, friends, and professionals in close contact with victims, witnesses, and perpetrators of catastrophes. But Major Hasan's religion was only one of several aspects of his being shattered by the stories he was charged with hearing. The troubled GI who opened fire on fellow soldiers at a counseling center in Fort Liberty back in 2011 was not a Muslim, although some right-wing blogs initially suggested he was. In truth, the violence soldiers and veterans inflict against other Americans is not unfathomable at all.

The fire power expended on Iraq in the six-year war was greater than that used in all wars in history combined. The savage murder of civilians, though not on the radar of most producers and consumers of American media, smolders in the minds of many troops and veterans of all backgrounds serving in all three recent wars in the region. Troops that were on U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, like the local citizens, suffered from the fumes from open burn pits the depth of city blocks and the length of small towns. Blast injuries from IED's continue to damage the interiors of bodies and brains, often with no external breakage or bleeding, causing a new kind of brain injury not seen before in the chronicles of war. Chemical fumes, powders, and liquids from military and industrial facilities bombed in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom continue to contaminate earth, water, and air. For decades and perhaps centuries, the consequences of US invasions will be for Iraqis and Afghans to suffer disease and deprivation, and invading and occupying troops will carry the war back home, as soldiers always do, but with brains, bodies, and minds shattered as never before. Who will identify and prosecute those who bear the greatest responsibility for these heinous mass murders? Brutal murders by American veterans and troops of fellow soldiers and citizens were surely not the outcomes planned by our leaders, but by now they are forever linked to violent and very unstable behavior that have resulted in mass casualties here at home. America has a moral and social responsibility to clean up the mess they made in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to render any and all medical and financial assistance that America's veterans are entitled to. Whether America's military and civilian leadership decides to do so or not remains to be seen.