Sunday, February 28, 2016

Regarding Matters of Faith

On Matters of Faith
[John chapter nine part one]
by Rev. Paul J. Bern



It never ceases to amaze me how many people refuse to see the truth even when it's staring them in the face. Our current crop of American 'leadership' continues to ignore, for example, the fact that all the fanatical Muslim terrorists alive today would not be acting as they are if the US military hadn't bombed their countries back to the stone age so they could take all the oil and hold it for use by the US military-industrial complex. Another example of failed American 'leadership' would be the refusal to acknowledge the fact that the US is insolvent because the interest on the so-called “national debt” is rising at a far greater rate than the principal currently due. To put it bluntly, America is bankrupt, and it doesn't have to be this way. When I open my copy of the US Constitution (if you don't have one, get one and read it all the way through, it's a 12 minute read, and it's that important) to Article 1 section 8, it reads, “Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the proper defense and general welfare of the United States.....to borrow money on the credit of the United States.....to coin money and collect the value thereof, and to fix the standards of weight and measures”. Problem is, the Federal Reserve – which is neither – is running the show instead. Again, to put it bluntly, this is a completely illegal arrangement! Everybody knows it, I and others like me have complained bitterly about this for years, but evidently those who are in charge couldn't care less. On and on it goes – climate change, the epidemic of ADHD in ourselves and our kids, the growing scourge of autism, and America's foot-dragging regarding its collective addiction to fossil fuels are just a few more examples. So I went looking for an example of this type of recalcitrance in the Bible. It took some searching, which I like to do anyway just because there's so much wisdom found in its pages, but eventually I found a perfect fit in the Gospel of John chapter nine.



As he went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned', said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go', he told him, wash in the pool of Siloam' (this word means 'sent'). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, 'Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?' Some claimed that he was. Others said, 'No, he only looks like him'. But he himself insisted, 'I am the man'. 'How then were your eyes opened?', they demanded. He replied, 'The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So then I went there and washed, and now I can see.' 'Where is this man?', they asked him. 'I don't know', he said'.” (John 9, verses 1-12, NIV)



There are numerous parallels between this story and the state of current events as I described in the first paragraph of this message. Everybody saw something happen, or saw the results of it, with their own eyes and yet didn't believe what they were looking at. The first lesson we can take with us as God's Word teaches it is that people aren't physically handicapped or otherwise crippled, mentally impaired, or otherwise injured because they did anything wrong. The only exception to this would be if someone were to accidentally kill themselves while driving their car at 120MPH, for example. Why, then, the nonbelievers ask, does God allow birth defects, diseases and disabilities? Jesus answers that question for us all in verse three when He said, “This happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his/her life.” Disabled people keep on living! I should know, I'm one of them. Due to some medical issues I can't work a 40 hour workweek any more, but I no longer own a car anyway, so it's really not much of a problem for me. I stay busy working in my apartment with this Web-based church, and I'm about to start another book, so I stay busy. My point here is not to draw attention to myself, but to point out that there are millions like me, and as long as all handicapped or disabled folks keep on keeping on, God is continuously getting glorified in the process. What better reason to keep on keeping on? Then Jesus makes a seemingly cryptic statement when he says, “Night is coming, when no one can work.” To make a long story short, this is a reference to the Great Tribulation prophesied about in the books of Revelation, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke and others, which is the final three and a half years of human history – as we currently understand it – before the second and final coming of our Lord Christ Jesus. During this time there will be much religious persecution of Christians, including here in the US, and a lot of Christians will end up getting killed. Churches will have to go underground during this time – yes, even here in the US – hence the phrase, “when no one can work”.



The next noticeable event that occurs in the course of this story was the way in which Jesus healed this man. For the moment, let's put this in a hypothetical context. Suppose you were (God forbid!) blind like this hapless gentleman in the story. Some guy comes along and offers to heal you. You accept the offer thankfully, but you're wondering how this stranger is going to do that. Next thing you know, the stranger takes a big nasty wad of spit (as far as you know at that point), makes a mud pie out of it and puts it in your eyes, and then tells you to go wash in the “pool of Siloam”, which is about the size of a large public swimming pool and still exists today near Jerusalem. Not in a public bath or in the Jordan river, but in some dinky little pool. Anyone who would not believe that Jesus could do that would simply not be healed. Period, end of story. This should show everyone how important faith can actually be, not to mention how effective it is for the purpose of healing physically, mentally and spiritually. Needless to say, our story doesn't proceed in that direction. Everybody sees this man has been healed, and yet nobody believes the formerly blind gentleman when he tells them how it happened. The poor guy doesn't know where Jesus went, and the fact that there is no one to verify the miracle the people were seeing only reinforces their disbelief. So they decide to take this incident to the authorities, beginning at verse 13.



They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud that opened the man's eyes was the Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. 'He put mud in my eyes', the man replied, 'and I washed, and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath'. But others asked, 'How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?' So they were divided. Finally they turned again to the blind man, 'What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened'. The man replied, 'He is a prophet'. The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 'Is this your son'?, they asked. 'Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?' 'We know he is our son,' the parents answered, 'and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age, he will speak for himself.' His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, 'He is of age. Ask him'. (John 9, verses 13-23, NIV)



So the first thing that happened after this poor blind man got healed was that his friends and acquaintances didn't believe their own eyes. Basically, they were accusing this man of faking the whole thing as they argued about it among themselves. The argument gets a little out of hand, and the next thing you know this man's 'friends' are bringing him before the authorities, presumably because they thought he was acting in a fraudulent manner or something like that. So they take him to the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leadership of that day, to file their complaint. Sure enough, the 'religious leaders' side with the crowd and against the formerly blind man who had been miraculously healed. As you all must know by now, much the same thing would occur if our Lord and Savior returned today. Pat Robertson and his CBN cable network, all the phony 'faith healers' and greedy 'ministers' of the “prosperity gospel” on TBN would do the same. At any rate, the man who had been healed continues to vigorously protest against those who disbelieve his miraculous healing. So, they call some additional witnesses and along comes the blind man's parents. “We don't know how our son got healed because we weren't there to see it. Why are you asking us when you should be asking him?”, they responded evasively. At this point, the Pharisees turn back to the blind man who had been healed and begin accusing him again.



Where have we seen this pattern here in modern times? It abounds in workplaces around the world, including the US, where workers are paid the equivalent of slave wages. From the Chinese factory workers who live on the equivalent of $2.00 per day to the American workers who make at or near the minimum wage of $7.25 hourly such as here in Atlanta where I live, people are being forced to live on starvation wages while more and more liquid wealth is concentrated in the hands and wallets of the top 1%. But when the workers complain or ask for pay raises, the rich retort, “You're being paid what you're worth; now get back to work!” I continue to be surprised and dismayed at the howls and cat-calls of the rich when regular folks ask for a $15.00 per hour minimum wage. Fifteen bucks an hour? Who do they think they are? Never mind the fact that many western European countries as well as Australia already have the equivalent of that wage level if measured in US dollars. If it works there then why can't we have it here? To sum it up in one word – greed. Here's another similar pattern, only instead of greed and low wages, it has to do with a person's background, social status, and sometimes institutionalized racism. Suppose a person gets in trouble with the law. I'm not talking about the egregious offenders who rape underage kids or who kill other people, and so on. I'm mainly talking about the 53% who are nonviolent drug offenders. Once they serve their time and are released, they have that felony conviction hanging over their heads for the rest of their productive lives. They've served their time and want to reenter society and restart their lives, but no one will hire them because they have criminal records. This needs to change, and that change is already getting started, thank God! The third and final example I will use is that of our military veterans. The US military uses these men and women until they are all used up, and then they just throw them away, using the Veterans Administration as a dumping place for an entire group of men and women who have been abused in the worst possible way. For example, as I write this, there are more US military veterans dying of suicide than are being killed in battle. Many are shuffled off to the side, and are told there's nothing wrong with them when there obviously is, and the US government couldn't care less.



That's all for now. You can expect the second half of this message and study next Sunday. Until then, think and contemplate on these things, and I encourage you all to continue along and read more of John's gospel, if for no other reason than it's so beautifully written and expressed. Shalom and have a great week in the Lord.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

This week's Bible study is Colossians chapter three

Letting the Peace of Christ Rule Your Heart
[Colossians chapter three]



Today I will continue (praise God that he gives me the internal fortitude and his Holy Spirit to empower me!) our study of the book of Colossians. Last week when we finished chapter two, the apostle Paul was elaborating on the fact that the Law of Moses had been fulfilled and was replaced by the commands of Jesus Christ because he himself became the new law, or a new sacrifice that took the place of the animal sacrifices of old. The shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins is an ancient concept dating back to at least the time of Abraham over 4,000 years ago, and it is discussed in detail in the book of Exodus, among others. But when Jesus was crucified and put to death on the cross, he shed his blood for all our sins once and for all. No more sacrifice was required, except for the personal sacrifice each one of us makes by accepting Jesus Christ as the Savior of our souls, and by voluntarily stepping aside as we give our lives, our minds, and our bodies up to Jesus. Let's hold that thought while we delve into this portion of the Word of God as written by the apostle Paul.



Since, then, you have been raised in Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and now your life is now hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on a new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Col. 3, verses 1 through 11, NIV)



“Since, then, you have been raised in Christ, set your hearts on things above...”. Paul is telling us here in unmistakable terms that we as followers of Christ had better get our priorities straight. When Jesus was raised from the dead on the morning of the third day, we who were dead in our sins against God were raised up with him. “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Our lives should revolve around our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of maintaining our salvation by obeying his commandments. Those persons who are obsessed with accumulating profits, particularly when it is done at the expense of others, or who are focused on acquiring material goods and status symbols, cannot do so and still call themselves worshipers of Jesus. Don't forget what Jesus said, “You cannot worship both God and money.” Either we are spiritual or we are worldly. None of us can have it both ways, so pick one or the other. I will quote the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, “Choose today whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.” This is a clear reference to the second coming of Christ. When He returns, those who have died in Christ will return to rule the earth with him. We will have the honor and privilege of accompanying Jesus at that momentous time. We will be part of a mighty Spiritual army of believers who will be returning right along with him.



“You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other...”. This is (hopefully) self-explanatory. Refusing to let go of our hurt feelings, whether real or imagined, and carrying grudges on our shoulders is incompatible with our faith in Christ. In the same way, people who are always angry or people who have hot tempers, or who have hearts filled with rage, are simply not going to make it into heaven when they finally die. We can't expect God to forgive our sins against him if we go around being unforgiving towards others. People who claim to love God and to be followers of Christ while harboring grudges towards other people don't understand the true Gospel or are willfully ignorant towards it, and one is as bad as the other in God's eyes as well as my own. Paul sums it up when he wrote, “put on a new self”. Discard the old you, the person you were before you got saved by accepting Christ as the head of your life. Put on a new self modeled after Jesus instead. There is no substitute.


Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have with one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” (Col. 3, verses 12-25, NIV)



Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have with one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Conversely, those who are cold, uncaring and mean people – especially those who enjoy being that way – people who are violent and who gloat over their brutality and their ability to kick some ass “just because”, those who are proud to the point of arrogance and conceit, and impatient people who want everything and they wanted it all as of yesterday; all these kinds of people and those who emulate them have no place whatsoever in the coming Kingdom of God, nor are their names written in the Lamb's book of life that is prophesied in the book of Revelation (chapter 20, verse 12). Those who think otherwise are quite frankly delusional, having lost all touch with reality as far as I'm concerned. In doing so they deceive themselves, and they are going to be in for a very rude awakening at Christ's second coming.



“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rules in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” The antidote to all of the above negative emotions and thought patterns is unconditional love. This goes far beyond having mere human affection or physical attraction for others. Our love for one another is and must remain unconditional, just as Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross showed Jesus' unconditional love for us – if only we will believe in truth and with the utmost sincerity in our Savior, Jesus Christ. His eternal peace will rest within our hearts, but only if we practice all the positive human attributes Paul listed above. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus...”. When one finds oneself in situations where they must deal with all types of people, if you're not sure what your next step or next move is, simply ask yourself, “Is what I'm doing, or about to do, pleasing to Christ?” If it is, that's good and you should proceed without delay or debate. If not, then step away from those people or that situation or you will get burned, that's for sure. Leave permanently if you have to.



Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Ladies and gentlemen, please don't play mind games with each other since that is counterproductive and will ultimately doom your marriages to failure. Never, ever be or act abusively towards one another since that is completely contrary to the teachings of Christ. You kids be sure and obey your moms and dads because God is watching you. Parents, never act in an overbearing or domineering manner towards your children for the same reasons. Parents who have short tempers and lack patience raise children to be the same, because kids emulate and imitate what they see. If we want to raise Christian children then we must follow the teachings of Christ, and not doing so inevitably ends up in abuse, grief, strife and even criminal behavior that permanently damages kids, and nobody wants that. 
 


Slaves, obey your masters in everything...”. Slavery back in the days of Christ was a firmly entrenched institution that dates back at least 5,000 years, and probably more. There are some who smugly congratulate themselves that slavery no longer exists in America, but I have observed that slavery – economic slavery – thrives in the 21st century here in America and even more so around the world. The explanation is simple. If the take-home pay of any given individual worker or independent contractor does not meet the most basic needs of the worker and his/her family – that is, food, shelter, transportation, electricity, heating and medical needs and clothing – then that person is a slave. I have vehemently preached and taught against this very thing since I first entered the ministry in 2009, and I will continue to do so, God willing, until I draw my last breath! An injustice towards one is an injustice towards all, and I stand openly and forcefully against injustice in all its forms. So the modern interpretation of this verse is, “Employees, obey your bosses, even the abusive and the incompetent”, and there are plenty of those kinds as you know all too well. Try not to be overly concerned about this. The capitalist economic system we are all living under is in its death throes anyway, and when it collapses – and it will, mark my words – the present-day corporate business model will similarly collapse under its own weight. And that, dear readers, is something we can all look forward to.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Greed and Inequality Run Wild While Churches Look the Other Way

Mainstream Churches Fail to Condemn Greed
While Inequality and Homelessness Mushroom
by Rev. Paul J. Bern



Inexcusable! Our nation is being savaged by economic hard times, but many pastors are afraid to talk about its causes, lest they offend anyone and risk losing members who pay their 'tithes'. In light of this I would like to present some comments of my own, since I am not the least bit shy about stirring up controversy. It has been my observation that too many preachers and teachers of the Gospel stop short these days when it comes to preaching about the evils of greed. Instead, they encourage their congregations to get through their financial woes by making larger financial contributions. “If you have a need”, one famous TV preacher once said, “you must plant a seed”. Unfortunately greed, like charity, begins at home. Apparently they don’t want to alienate the most well-off members of their congregations by talking about what’s really behind the nation’s economic woes. I can sum it up in one sentence: “I've got mine and I'm doing well, how about you?” An alternate sentence could read, “I've already got mine, too bad for you!” 
 


The reality is that certain people may wind up creating anti-economic-growth and anti-capitalism concepts in their minds. Greed and our capitalist economic system fears anything that even remotely resembles first century communism or socialism (see the book of Acts chapter 2, verses 44-47; chapter 4 verses 32-36, and 2nd Corinthians chapter 8, verses 13-15). The very idea of sharing anything, or of equal economic distribution in any form, makes these “Christians” furious! Never mind that caring and sharing are two fundamental concepts of true Christianity: “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew chapter 6, verses 2-4, NIV). The continuing aftermath of the Great Recession is far more than just an economic crisis. It has become a spiritual dilemma for some of the nation’s pastors and their parishioners. Nearly eight years after an implosion of the US financial system helped push the country into its worst economic nosedive since the Great Depression, many pastors are still trying to figure out how to address people’s fears from the pulpit. But first they have to deal with their own fears, and in some cases their own greed.



Though millions of Americans are justifiably angry over the new minimalist economy (meaning, nobody can afford much of anything anymore), little moral outrage seems to be coming from mainstream religious denominations, and ditto for many unaffiliated nondenominational churches. Too many pastors opt for offering platitudes from the pulpit or from TV studios because they are afraid their 'partners' will stop giving money if they hear teachings against greed. Money, and the acquisition thereof, is one of the last taboos in church (not counting preaching against the extreme immorality of waging warfare, which ranks number one in my mind). The economic anxiety from the pews has become so palpable for some pastors, though, that they now feel like they have no other choice.



The Rev. Andy Stanley, a prominent evangelical leader, said some in his congregation cheered when he launched a preaching series called “Recovery Road” to talk about politically touchy issues such as personal greed, the unsustainable federal deficit, and the sins of sub-prime home loans and predatory student loans. Rev. Stanley says he took a risk preaching about greed to his suburban Atlanta congregation, but it has paid off. The senior pastor has told his church members they should look in the mirror before they start blaming politicians for the nation’s economic woes. Any economic recovery “begins with me, not they,” Stanley said. It continues when pastors ask how such a wealthy country can stumble into such a financial mess. “Any time the entire country is talking about something, pastors should pause and talk about it,” Rev. Stanley said. “We know what Republicans and Democrats think, but what does the Bible and Jesus say?’’ Other ministers say an economic recovery also must involve pointing fingers. They say Jesus calls his followers to struggle against those people and policies that helped lead to the Great Recession and overwhelming economic inequality.



It’s good to pull a bunch of people out of the river when they’re drowning, but it’s also smart to go upriver to see who’s been throwing them in the water in the first place. Should pastors speak truth to economic power? Absolutely – they'd be cowards not to! There was a time when American pastors routinely took stands on the big economic issues of the day. During the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister, inspired others to fight against the economic inequality of the time with the “Social Gospel.” Social Gospel ministers helped inspire President Theodore Roosevelt to break up business monopolies and abolish child labor. I personally wear such a mantle upon my own shoulders, and I wear it proudly.



The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spent the last three years of his life focusing on poverty. When he was assassinated in 1968, he was on the cusp of leading a nonviolent, interracial army of poor people into the nation’s capital to demand a fairer distribution of wealth. Rev. Dr. King and others like him took on the big economic issues of the day, and they were inspired by the example of Jesus, who angered the powerful by condemning the economic exploitation of the poor. Jesus took sides – he said he “didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword.” The hard truth is that pastors who are afraid of angering congregants by talking about touchy economic issues like greed ignore the Gospel. You can’t preach the Gospel without alienating people. That’s part of the job. You’re not helping helpless people if you’re not alienating the greedy. Economic hard times and its accompanying low wage jobless recovery divides preachers as well as politicians.



Preaching what Jesus would say about the Great Recession is controversial by nature. The Bible doesn’t record any instance where someone asked Jesus about the morality of a sub-prime loan, or of waging undeclared, unofficial wars overseas, or the best way to reduce the federal deficit (all that has to be done is to nationalize the Federal Reserve!). That leaves pastors with the challenge of interpreting Jesus’ message for today’s economic woes and other related problems. On that front, the pulpit is as divided as the nation’s politics. Consider the cause of the 2008 economic meltdown. Was it primarily the result of Wall Street greed? Greed was a factor in the 2008 financial crisis, but not it’s primary cause. There were other major factors, including the tendency of Americans to live above their means and policies that encouraged banks to relax mortgage lending standards. In addition, large financial institutions were encouraged to engage in risky behavior because they knew the federal government would bail them out. The causes of the 2008 crisis was so complicated that some of the smartest people in the world either failed to anticipate it, or they looked the other way so they would not see.



Why don't more Christians condemn the growing gap between rich and poor? Denouncing a presumed (and enforced by the police) gap between rich and poor is a moral imperative, not to mention prophetic wisdom, in today's Church. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, income disparity in the United States has increased 40% in the past 30 years. In 2010 the nation’s poverty rate rose to a 17-year high, with more than 46 million people – 15.1% of the population – living in poverty and 49.9 million living without health insurance (this was before so-called 'Obamacare'). These grim statistics point to the hard truth that people born in America today can no longer “succeed” like their parents and grandparents did. Working hard and getting a good education are no longer enough. Higher education is currently only for the well-to-do and the creditworthy, and working hard, long hours only guarantee jobs for as long as it takes any given employer to find and hire someone else who is willing to work for $1.00 per hour cheaper than those they replace. In short, the American Dream is dead on arrival. It has devolved into a lie. The fact that millions of people want jobs and can't find them is a sign of that capitalism is dying of old age, and the profit motive is doomed to die with it because there is way too much money in the hands of far too few people while everyone else gets (literally) left out in the cold.



It’s very clear to me that greed was a major factor in the 2008 economic collapse, and that the widening gap between the have's and have-not's is social and political dynamite. Quite frankly, economic inequality is a recipe for revolution, and it is a revolution that is long overdue. Henry Ford once said, “If the American people knew how their banking system worked, there would be a revolution by tomorrow morning”. This statement was uttered roughly 80 years prior to the birth of social media! History shows that an increasing gap between the rich and the poor is a prime indicator of imminent spiritual, financial and cultural collapse. What is sorely needed today is a movement among the nation’s churches to re-examine the country’s economic values. Unfortunately, many of the nation’s pastors and TV evangelists operate like politicians, afraid to alienate their wealthy donors. Their sermons sound more like rehearsed sales pitches than they do Spiritual messages. Shame on them all!



Where have all the prophets gone? If pastors choose not to preach about the causes of economic calamity, they can still talk about the issue through the standpoint of personal behavior. Some church members have been hit hard by bad economic times. But instead, they hear about the cures and not the causes for the nation’s economic ills. It has been my observation that too many pastors have reduced Jesus to a financial adviser or life coach rather than the Son of God who was a prophet and teacher, and who saved us all from death by the free gift of eternal life for all those who truly believe, and who back up their beliefs with charitable acts and much faith.



Pastors should also call for equality and justice as a part of this message. In point of fact, it’s a crime that no bankers or financial leaders behind the 2008 collapse have gone to jail, and it is indicative of culpability and complicity on the part of our nations “leaders”. We’ll send an African-American teenager off to the slammer who robs a 7-Eleven, and ditto for smoking an innocuous substance like marijuana, but people won’t do one stinking thing to any banker who helped cause the collapse of the entire banking system. There are tens of thousands of once-robust working Americans who are now homeless and living on the streets because of the gross irresponsibility and criminal activity of Wall St. bankers. But most preachers won’t dare say that, because much of the church is too captive to greed to address the moral challenges of the nation’s economic problems. In my opinion, this is due in no small part to the “prosperity gospel” that is being “taught” in many churches today. In other words, it's OK to be greedy, so long as one is doing so for the sake of Christ. They are forgetting that Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”, and again when He said, “You cannot have both fresh and salt water flowing from the same spring. You either love one master and detest the other, or you will cling to the other and despise the former. You cannot worship both God and money”.



We can’t expect politicians, pastors, teachers, evangelists or other business and political leaders to stand up to apostasy within the Church because too many are beholden to the rich and powerful who keep their houses of worship operating in the black! A prophet is someone who is willing to tell us the unpleasant truth about ourselves. That's what Jesus did, and that's why he was crucified by the Roman Empire. If we can’t bring unpopular messages, who will do so in our place? It's all up to us, and anyone who willingly does not do so is ignoring at best, or willfully bastardizing at worst, the true and timeless Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

This week's Progressive Christian Bible study is Colossians chapter two

Human Rules and Regulations Pale Compared to Christ
[Colossians chapter 2]



Today we'll move on to chapter two of the book of Colossians, where we find the apostle Paul further defining and underlining his leading role in the founding of at least 7 churches, as the Bible chronicles it, for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ to all the world. Last week when we left off, Jesus was being described as being “before all things” and “the head of the body, the church”. Jesus is called “the mystery of God”, and “the hope of glory”. By him and through him alone, we are all saved from what would be otherwise be eternal condemnation. Nobody, no matter who they are, can stand in the presence of God. It would mean instant death for any of us, just as God said to Moses on Mt. Sinai when Moses asked God, “show me your glory” in Exodus chapter 19. Bearing that in mind, let's begin our study now.



I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and unified in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So, then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on the human tradition and the basic principals of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Col. 2, verses 1-12, NIV)



In verse one, the church at Laodicea is mentioned here and in only one other place in the Bible. Besides here in Colossians chapter two, the only other place the Bible mentions Laodicea is in the book of Revelation (chapter 3, verses 14-22). Paul was struggling on behalf of all the churches, as he wrote, for this holy purpose, “so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” “To know the Lord”, Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, “is the beginning of all wisdom”. Knowing Christ, then, is like finding “all treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, since Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is, as it says in Revelation, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. So it is very fitting that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, the whole entirety thereof, be found in Christ and him alone. And it's because, you see, he is and shall always be “before all things”.



The next step in the acquisition of Godly and genuine wisdom was defined by Paul as being a matter of faith when he wrote, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. Receiving Jesus into our hearts is something to be renewed on a daily basis, like filling up your gas tank. We can keep running on pure Jesus provided that we have an ample supply of his grace. How do we obtain this grace, this Spiritual fuel? By placing our purest and most devoted faith in Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit, with nothing held back, we get the grace of God in return. That's what Jesus meant in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. Not necessarily face-to-face, but through having the Holy Spirit dwelling within you so that He can act through you. It's not that God withholds grace pending an outpouring of our faith as if it were some kind of Spiritual exchange. His endless grace is a natural byproduct of our faith. And let's all be sure, myself included, to be ever thankful towards Jesus Christ for his supreme sacrifice for all of us on the cross. We can never be thankful enough for all that He has done and will do for us.



For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” This is the summation of the point the apostle Paul was making when he wrote these words so long ago. Jesus Christ and he alone “is the head over every power and authority”. He is the ruler of all things just as the Father is the creator of all things. And we are saved by Jesus our Savior by being given eternal life, “having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were all raised with him. It is the very essence of Christianity. Jesus has eternal life, and so do all who place their total belief in him. And now let's take a look at the second half of chapter two.



When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to a cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone worship who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not waste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”



Paul highlights the passion of Christ as he writes, “...that was against us and that stood opposed to us; ... having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Since we are all a part of the Family of God, anything that stands against us also stands against Jesus, and vice versa. The early church was subject to much persecution by the Roman authorities, partly due to the fact that the Roman government of that time viewed the concept of monotheism, the teaching that there is but one true God, as a potential threat to their “national security” (sound familiar?). But the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ disarmed not just the Roman authorities of the day, it took down all man-made authority for all time. Not as an act of sedition, which is violent revolt, but instead through an act of contrition by the Supreme Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. All who have the Holy Spirit within them maintain a contrite and thankful heart towards Christ.



“Do not let anyone judge you”, Paul wrote to the early believers, many of whom found themselves ostracized for their faith, “by what you eat or drink” ... “the reality, however, is found in Christ”. There are all kinds of religions that prohibit the consumption of certain foods, or of alcoholic beverages and so on. There are many others that are opposed to abortion for any reason. Still others disagree over what day the Sabbath should be, even though it says in the Bible the Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week (the problem is our Western calendar and the ancient Hebrew calendar are sufficiently different to cloud that issue). There are still others who insist God is a right-wing conservative, when in fact the very term “conservative Christian” is an oxymoron. I personally think most of these are side-issues that are completely incidental to Christianity, but that's not in the Bible either. The core issue is – are you saved for an eternity with God or aren't you? If so, good – and stay that way because His coming is quite near. If not, today is as good a time as any. I am usually by my phone except for overnight hours, but search “Billy Graham prayer line” on your computer or your mobile device and call the toll-free number for prayer if you can't get hold of me, it's open 24 hours a day. This is very serious. Reboot, or initialize, your lifetime relationship with Jesus Christ. Wherever you spend eternity depends upon it. Do it now.



Paul concludes chapter two with these words: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not waste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom … but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Let me be very clear right here. Paul isn't advocating anarchy or lawlessness when he asks why the church at Colossi is still conforming to all the rules. I don't think Paul was referring to living under Roman rule, which was quite brutal in itself, so much as he was writing about the laws of the Synagogue where they worshiped. Remember that the apostle Paul was born and raised a Jew, as was Jesus, John the Baptist, and eleven out of the twelve original apostles (Luke was the only Gentile). As you recall from previous studies, the Jewish sacred text called the Torah was comprised of the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Law of Moses during Jesus' lifetime. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus ended the Old Testament and began the new one, with the Law of Moses being replaced by the Law of Jesus. Jesus, by his own definition, was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses since he was the Son of God.



So Paul was writing about the fact that those who were still worshiping God while adhering to the Law of Moses were doing so in vain. They should have and ought to have been worshiping Christ as their sole Lord and Savior instead. Such rules look well thought out and painstakingly crafted, but they don't hold people back from evil. Only the internal dwelling of the Holy Spirit can do that, and we only obtain that by asking Jesus for it. Only by asking Jesus to come and live within our hearts can we have the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit we gain access to all the love, the purity, the goodness, the mercy, the power and the glory of Jesus Christ. The more we do these things, the more like Him we will become. And that, dear readers, is the whole idea!

Monday, February 15, 2016

Struck Down, But Not Destroyed: You Have Infinite Value!

Struck Down, But Not Destroyed: You Have Infinite Value!: Those of us who grew up in an abusive home where we were not valued understand what it is to start life off on the wrong foot with things ...


If you are struggling -- or have struggled -- with self-esteem or
self-worth issues, speaking as a guy who's been there, this is a really
good read! Check it out! Shalom.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

The Stranglehold of the Rich

The Stranglehold of the Rich
by Rev. Paul J. Bern



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 will eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workman 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 chapter 5, verses 1-6, NIV)



We have now arrived at a point in our nation's history where the US is still clinging to its former status as a superpower and refusing to move on. In the process, the United States has committed one of our history’s most colossal mistakes while basking in the glory of the act, and forgetting the political and financial consequences for doing so. I'm talking about America's ill-advised and poorly thought out invasion and occupation of Iraq from 2003 until the end of 2011. This was, for all practical intents and purposes, a war manufactured for the financial benefit of the 1% right wing elitists who have been ruling over us with an increasingly violent iron fist (such as police officers shooting unarmed civilians). The 1% elites want glory today, tomorrow, and forever. They want to be worshiped like gods, which is absurd to put it mildly. They want credit for being the heroes, for saving civilization. The irony is that their narrow-mindedness, their embedded lack of perspective, and their superficial view on world events dooms them to be a curse upon their own land. Little or nothing has been getting done because of almost constant bickering between Congress and the President. And what are Congress and the President fighting to defend? One of the worst situations this country has ever been in; the triple combination of an unprecedented economic crisis, the complete collapse of manufacturing, and what can only be described as a student loan 'bubble'. The first of these three is a solvency issue, the second is due to what turned out to be the horrifically short-sighted out-sourcing of middle class American jobs, while the last is due to issues of excessive debt due to predatory lending practices. All three exist with the active participation of the US government. None of this happened by accident.



America has spent itself into oblivion, and this series of events – of which the economic crisis of 2008 was only a part – was engineered by the crooks on Wall Street and at the Federal Reserve, their lobbyists in Washington and the corrupt politicians who do their bidding, and the 'Fortune 100' multinational corporations who peddle the top 1%'s products and services. Clearly some very serious measures must be taken ASAP. There must be criminal prosecution of those responsible (which hasn't even started as I write this), and a total overhaul of America's financial and monetary systems is similarly overdue. So what should be done? That's the problem, progress in this regard has been nearly nonexistent on the part of those who are charged with the task of overseeing it. Want reform of the financial markets? Screw you, we're filibustering in the Senate. Want single payer health care? Forget it, we're going to ram 'Obamacare' down your throats instead. Want an improved health care system? Nope, America will continue to allow forty thousand people a year to die so the rest can be charged twice as much as the rest of the world for inferior care!! Want jobs? You might as well forget about that, too, they have all been shipped overseas for pennies on the dollar, and they're not coming back. Still need a job? No problem! You may choose between restaurants, fast food outlets, big box stores of various types, or door-to-door sales. Wow, isn't this variety stimulating?? Or how about this one: Ready to retire? Not! Wall St. gambled your retirement away on derivatives and other B.S. Ponzi schemes, and so far nobody on Wall Street or at the Fed has served one single day. They took the rest of the money and paid cash for every foreclosed or abandoned piece of real estate they could find. Meanwhile back at the ranch, the balances on your 401K and your IRA are hovering at, or they are near, or well below, zero!



Of course, resisting any or all this is being painted as resisting big government and the military-industrial complex. People who resist can get arrested and jailed, as we all know too well. People like myself, who dare to openly express dissenting political and religious views, can be arbitrarily labeled as “domestic terrorists” by law enforcement. When that happens people can get locked up without being charged with a crime, and they can be held indefinitely in flagrant violation of the US Constitution (see the US Constitution, amendments 5, 6 and 7, and search 'NDAA' for details). Never mind that America's leaders conduct speaks poorly to their skills as fiscal guardians. The US political establishment needs their dark enemies to highlight their glorious crusades. The problem with that is, the whole darn world is sick and tired of endless wars, wars that we never wanted to begin with. On the other hand, single payer health care – which would essentially be putting everyone on Medicare and eliminating Medicaid – has to be this great evil, 'socialist' health care reform purported to be government taking decisions out of your doctor's hands. All I can say about that is to quote Thomas Jefferson, who said, “The first and primary purpose of any good government should be the safety and the general welfare of its people”.



Never mind the facts. They did this all along during the latter Bush administration plus the entire Obama administration. Everything was about defending what the President and Congress were doing, everything was about justifying colossal mistakes. Whether turning a soldier's request for more armor into another chapter in the epic of the mainstream media, lying about the death of Pat Tillman, using Jessica Lynch as a PR stunt, or blaming hurricane Katrina's death toll and the subsequent humanitarian disaster on the victims themselves, or coming up with a million different justifications for outing former CIA asset Valerie Wilson, the 1% elite right wing nuts and their conservative/neocon lap dogs devoted themselves to the task of rationalizing failure and mass murder on an enormous scale.



If I seem angry here, it is a righteous anger, and it reflects the anger of much of the American public. This is what I've fought against and wrote about for the last five years. I don't want to live in a country where the government exists in an alternate universe, where the politicians are so oblivious to reality. I refuse to live in a country where 99% of the wealth is in the hands of 1% of the population. And I'm not freaking done, not by a long shot! Since I don't have plans to leave this country that I love, I am an unofficial part of the Occupy and 99% Movements, and I write and publish nonfiction books about these movements, US civil rights, human rights worldwide, about economic inequality and how to combat it, and about ending the wars overseas and the drug war here at home. Whether it's me by myself, or millions answering the call around my nation, our goal must be to make the government that runs this country a part of the reality-based community, which is the rest of us. I'm in favor of a government that is lean, agile and flexible, and it's also time to make government Web-based and paperless, which would result in a tremendous reduction in costs and overhead. If the current government is unwilling to consider any of this, it is 'we the people' who will have to forcibly replace that government. This means mass civil unrest at best, or civil war at its worst. I would choose the latter only as a last resort. But the thing is, it looks like we're nearly there already.



I wish our current government would finally coming to grips with the fact that America's government is broken, and it has been for many years. They can keep their bogus two party system, keep on favoring only ultra-conservative ideas that trample everybody else underfoot, even keep on using the US Constitution for a door mat. But what gives Congress, the president, the Fed and Wall Street the right to let the whole country go straight to hell just to enrich themselves, or for political jockeying for position? These jokers are more out of touch with America than they've been in years, in no small part due to their failure to put politics aside and deal with a financial emergency America is faced with. The fortunes of the nation and its people come first, not the fortunes of political parties nor the needs of their political donors and their accompanying armies of lobbyists. This is what is meant by the term 'people before profits'.



Failure is not an option for the American people. America's future, and especially that of its children and grandchildren, is at stake. A government that allows things to fail just to score political points is guilty of willful dereliction of duty, and by extension criminal negligence. A government that justifies failure by scoring political points on the evening news is guilty of gross malfeasance in the course of their duties, a potentially impeachable offense. Such behavior is not worthy of governing this country in any capacity. For the last two decades since NAFTA was passed into law, America has been the victim of unwise policies, policies that naively presupposed a willingness for restraint from the financial sector, policies that assumed that perseverance in military campaigns whose very legality is dubious would somehow lead to success. These were people who looked at our economy in the summer of 2008 and said the economy was fundamentally sound, right up until the point where the economic and real estate crashes made the obvious truth unavoidable. Our government has proven itself to be incompetent, and so it must be taken out of the way and replaced.



I don't want more government by people who are simply persisting in their policies until events overtake them and make it impossible for them to maintain the status quo. I want people who are adapting to our country's problems in advance, and allowing the government that same flexibility. On the other hand, if the government continues to do nothing but public bickering while engaging in private deal-making in smoke filled rooms, the American populace will be forced to take matters into their own hands. How this situation turns out could depend on the reaction of authorities. The folks in charge need to know that our intentions are peaceful, and that we only wish to take up where Rev. Dr. King left off in April of '68. We intend to maintain that peace even in the face of difficult odds or outside interference. The only exception would be if we were to be attacked by anyone, uniformed or otherwise. In that event we would be forced to fight back. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. We do not seek trouble, only justice and equality.


The last thing this country needs is another decade, or decades, worth of governance from political parties that cannot tell the difference between a defeat and a victory, and who resists all efforts to bring its attentions to the American people's problems. There is at least a recognition among the rank and file that the current situation is not to be tolerated, or cannot be continued. The conservative 'charge of the light brigade' against the American people must end, and this country should be allowed to get back to deciding what the wise thing is for America's 99%, not what is politically convenient and economically profitable to an undignified, money-and-power worshiping 1% minority.


Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Bible study this week is the 2nd half of Colossians chapter 1

The Mystery Kept Hidden For Many Generations
[Colossians chapter 1, verses 15-29]



Last week when we began our study of the book of Colossians, we covered the first half of chapter one. Today we'll be finishing that up, God willing, as we continue our analysis of the writings of the apostle Paul. As I was closing out last week's study, I was elaborating on “having a deep knowledge of God”, to quote the apostle Paul. As we continue today, you will see what Paul's definition of deep relationship with Christ entails, as we start off at the 15th verse of chapter one.



He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace with his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospel. This is the Gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” (Colossians 1, verses 15-23, NIV)



There can be no question that Paul was writing about Christ in the superlative, as you can clearly see, holding back nothing. Jesus is the human image of a God that we can't see otherwise. Even though the Bible says in Genesis that God the Father created the heavens and the earth, it was all done through Christ just the same. And the way God accomplished this was to give up his only Son for the sake of all of us, which elevated Jesus above and beyond all mankind and the angels of heaven and earth. And it was all so we could be with him in eternity. Without all of the above, we would have no hope of any life in the Spirit after the death of the physical body. Instead, when our lives were over we would simply blink into nothingness, forever forgotten after a lifetime of meaningless, pointless existence for its own sake. You can be assured that this is not God's intention for our lives at all! Paul then continues going deeper in his letter to the church at Colossi.



He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Remember the Star Wars movies from the late 1970's, specifically episode three? “The force”, Obi-won Kenobi said to Luke Skywalker, “surrounds and permeates everything. It's an invisible force that binds all things together”. That's also a very good illustration of the personage of Jesus Christ (whether George Lucas was aware of it at the time or not only God knows). He is God's son, and as such he is everywhere, all the time. Jesus is also the head of the church, “by making peace with his blood, shed on the cross.” Through his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus became elevated to the right hand of the Father, where he will remain for eternity. By presenting himself as the supreme sacrifice, “he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm.” There's the caveat from the apostle Paul to all of Christendom. We will continue to be reconciled to God through Christ – provided we maintain and build on our faith in Jesus Christ to the point where our faith is continuously established and firmly strengthened. Plus, as Paul made himself a servant of the Gospel, so should we be emulating him in our own service for Christ, no matter what it is. Remember that the small things matter to God in ministry just like the big things do. God not only can still use you, he is happily willing to do so. Just ask him. If it's within his will, God can ordain anyone as a pastor, deacon, musician, administrator or as an usher or anything else – and all are equally important in God's eyes. Bearing that in mind, let's finish up chapter one.



Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” (Col. 1, verses 24-29, NIV)



When Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you”, he is most likely referring to his persecution by the Roman Empire in general, and specifically with certain authorities in Colossi since Paul was the founder of the Colossian church. He apparently suffered greatly and had to put up with much hardship on a nearly continuing basis from the very foundation of that church onward, and all for the sake of the Gospel. Clearly Paul thinks his efforts paid off, and he was apparently not bashful about showing it. I suppose that if I had been imprisoned and tortured for my Christian faith and lived to tell about it, I would be proud of such an accomplishment as well, especially the part about God's mercy in sparing my life. 
 


Paul then goes on to reiterate what he had written above when he wrote, “...in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Once again Paul calls the church “the body of Christ”, just as he did above in verse 22. Then Paul echoes my own sentiments when he wrote, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness...”. And so let us also practice emulating the apostle Paul's example every chance we get and “present the Word of God in its fullness”. I ride the bus as a general rule to get around town (since going green several years ago by not replacing my worn-out van), so I tend to run into a lot of people. All I have to do is to wait for the Lord to create an opening to initiating a conversation with most anyone who will listen. This is easy since all I have to do is wait for the right moment to introduce Jesus Christ into the conversation. So don't be concerned about whether you can witness for Christ or not, simply stand back and let God, and he will make a way for you.



God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery”, Paul wrote, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. The mystery is the revelation of God's maximum fullness in his Word, which is personified by Jesus and his conquest of death. It is just as the apostle John wrote in the first verse of his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning”. Paul may well have been referring to John's gospel (as we know it today) but I can't say for sure, and this bit of Christian history trivia has long since been lost through the dense fog of time. But Paul then closes with an interesting phrase, “To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Paul closes chapter one by giving all the honor and all the credit for his early successes to a supernatural energy that comes directly from God. He also implies that he could not have had the success he did without it, something that I find very noteworthy. Let us ask ourselves about this as I close. Do I have success in life, in business, in my walk with Christ, and with my family? If not, could it be that I'm trying to succeed entirely of my own efforts? Are any of us leaving God out of the equation of life? This hearkens back to what I have closed Bible studies with before, the basic idea of letting go and letting God. Frustrated by failure? Exasperated by setbacks? Can't get your timing right? It may not be your fault after all, you're just forgetting to let go and let God. When we pray for God to intervene in our lives, he will do so, but only if we step back and let Him work. Sometimes letting go and letting God means stepping aside to get out of his way. Try it, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it works. See you next week!