Small Advocacy Groups Turning World On Its Head, & It's Not a Good Thing

Pondering our upside down world, where homosexuals are exalted over heterosexuals, where living alone or cohabitating is exalted over traditional marriage, where having the State raise kids (send to school, get fed, propagandized, indoctrinated, inoculated, suffocated, anything but educated), lip service paid to military service while undercutting them though PC social programs and underfunding and underpaying the people, where the secular is exalted over the religious, where Islam is exalted over Christianity.

Then I think, how is it possible that the gay population, about 3% of us, have gained so much control over how we speak, how much pop culture is controlled by that small amount of folks. How is it Blacks, about 12% of us, control how we speak, how much of our pop culture and politics are controlled by that small of a segment of the population. Most of our population, over 85% identify ourselves a Christians, yet a few percent of atheists and secularists are getting crosses torn down all over the country, Ten Commandments getting torn down, the government forcing religious institutions to violate centuries old beliefs and principles and forced to comply upon threat of jail, fines, or both. Small groups, huge impact, totalitarian mindset.

Mostly because the rest are regular folks going about the business of working, paying bills, having relationships and kids the traditional way, and those cares outweigh the eroding of what has traditionally worked over the centuries. Most just don't glam on to a cause; environmentalism, sexism, feminism, socialism, Marxism, racism (blacks' notion if you're white you're privileged and a racist by definition), secularism, atheism and all the rest. It's deconstruction. It's easier to tear down than to build up, and from there not just maintain but improve.

It's easier too to engage in labeling, stereotyping, and name calling than to apply what works: communication, tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness. The things all the advocacy groups mentioned above have in common is just that. If you disagree with gays, you're a homophobe, with Blacks you're a racist, if secularist or atheist you're intolerant, a bigot and forcing your [Christian] beliefs on others. The opposite of course is true. The racism, hatred, bigotry, labeling, stereotyping, intolerance is emanating from those advocacy groups. BTW, if you point out to environmentalists 'global warming' is not supported by any true science, you're a "denier". That of course is to put you in the category of being a holocaust denier. See how it works?

Going back to the 6th Century, how is it Christianity was the most powerful force throughout the Middle East, bringing charity, hope, love, institutions to heal the sick and wounded and helpless, was replaced by a top down brutal genocidal, totalitarian "religion" that advocated the murder of those that did not then, and now do not agree with them. We're going to allow that again, except now in this country, in Western Civilization? And now a small group in this country that for some reason reject the Christian principals and actions that, based on Judeo-Christian scripture, are the best, proven guide, for successful government and personally successful lives, are advocating for Islam over Christianity and totalitarianism over democracy.

I have this suggestion for Christians. Many of us bemoan the weakening of our Religion, the values and the attack on behaviors that work with a 100% success rate when applied. Take a page from the 3%, the 12%, the small groups that have had a profoundly powerful effect on us, on Western Civilization, and speak up, push back, and educate. Jesus gave us the Great Commission. We just aren't doing it. Take a note from the Apostle Paul. He never backed down one bit even after beaten, stoned, imprisoned.

Talk about your faith at work. Talk about it a gatherings and parties. Talk about it at political gatherings. Live it too; that's the biggest witness. See, the effect would be bigger than all the small advocacy groups accomplish through hatred, lies and bullying. Christians have the guide, the historical personal histories to model after. We have what the advocacy groups don't: love, faith, hope, charity. They do it the wrong way, and look how successful they've been. Think about engaging and doing it the right way.

The Great Commission. Previous thoughts here, here, here. 

Prayer and Missions

Some Spiritual Gifts

Last summer I was called to intercessory prayer. This was done through a “spiritual gifts” assessment, which I’ve been taking every couple/three years for the past decade. It’s been constant what my gifts were until then. To those that don’t know of these, the Books of Romans, Corinthians and Ephesians talk about them. From Romans: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form on body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

This past summer, intercessory prayer came out the highest. I thought, now what? I really don’t know so much about it. I was in an extraordinary small group study, the subject being spiritual gifts, and intercessory prayer was explained and defined. Still, I just prayed pretty much, I guess, like anyone else. Through God’s intercession and guidence; a few months later the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA, led by Jack Hayford, presented a conference, “Penetrating the Darkness, The Power of Praise-Filled Prayer”. It was there I learned how to pray. An amazing thing; I returned to church about 14 years ago, and really had no idea how to pray.  Mostly our prayers are self centered, asking for relief for so many things that cause us pain, with maybe some thought thrown in for some others, almost as an afterthought.

Basic Elements of Prayer

One of the speakers was Dick Eastman, the International President of Every Home for Christ. He presented a structure for prayer. This takes discipline, time and effort; it’s not easy.

He broke down prayer into twelve elements: Praise, Waiting (be silent to be aware of God’s presence), Confession, Scripture (make a reference), Watching (be alert to God’s intervention and guidance), Intercession (prayer for others), Petition (personal needs), Thanksgiving, Singing, Meditation, Listening (receive His instruction) and Praise again. I’m not so much into the singing as part of my prayers, and the suggestion of an hour a day is tough. I can do 15-20 min a day; that’s better than the 5-6 min I started with. I tried to pray on my knees. Very tough to do. Peter, Paul and the rest spent hours on their knees. It’s really painful.

He taught us to have a daily focus: Monday on the Arts and Entertainment, and especially Christians that they may touch others in their field (so few Christians there). Tuesday on Business, Wednesday on Education (I especially focus on teachers), Family, especially that they stay together, Government, not just ours but of every country, Media (that they contribute to bringing us back to Christian values) and Sunday, Religion, that the Holy Spirit moves through every church, and It opens non-Christians to the truth of His Word. He passed out a ‘world prayer map’ so countries are scheduled for prayer, that none are overlooked.

I’ve created a prayer list that I pull up on my computer when I get home. It grows nearly daily. An element I've added is prayer for people that need to hear of Jesus, and I have a link just a little ways down on the right side of this blog. People now know that I’ll pray for them, that I have a list, and come up to me (at work no less!) and ask for prayer. Some question or deny that prayer works. I think since there are so many asking for, and doing the praying, there's no question. It does. 

Something else I’ve done because of this is become a regular contributor to Every Home for Christ. These people go into dangerous areas, work with local Christians, and get the Word out, bringing people to Christ. I've never been called to be a missionary, but I can certainly support those that are. That there are people that testify in Arab/Muslim countries just stuns me. People in those countries kill Christians just because they can. Exceptional vid here about how Christianity is the most persecuted religion on earth. Jesus warned us it would be so. 

I've posted several times about Christian persecution, and we must always always always keep those suffering that most fervently in our prayers.

Romans: “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”  

Pope Benedict- "Love in Truth", The Great Commission, Government and the Church

Recently Pope Benedict published an encyclical and there was much furor over a part of it suggesting there be a world governing body, a “Global Authority”, to balance economics and charity; for a more equitable distribution of wealth globally. It set every conservative’s and capitalist’s mind on edge. Governmental authority with the best of intentions always corrupts and oppresses and has the force of law, man’s, not God’s. I would rather we live according to God's law, natural law, based on a foundation of prayer. Governments have secularized themselves, denounced God, and theirs' is a more dangerous greed than that of capitalist as a result. They have the force of secular man made law we are forced to obey. God at least gives us free will; we ignore it at our own peril.    

The Catholic Church, like the Episcopal Church has, in the West, found itself in a minority. The largest numbers of members are in the southern hemisphere, in “developing” countries, seeing the West as decadent, uncharitable, oppressive and greedy. Protestants, my tradition, has embraced that liberal notion while at the same time often not living up to the giving and sacrifice they espouse; let someone else, like governments, do it by confiscating money from producers. Not so far from what the encyclical was stating.  

I watch to struggle in the Catholic and Episcopal churches between members in Asia and Africa and the Western church. Non-Western churches embrace the traditions about divorce and contraception (Catholic view), homosexuality, female priests and ministers and the rest. Western churches, both Catholic and Protestant are ignoring or jettisoning those traditions. The Episcopal church is on the verge of splitting in two. Demographics show nearly two thirds of Catholics are in developing countries, and I suspect the encyclical was for that audience. Mainstream Protestant denominations have been toying with these Marxist views for awhile, diluting the “Great Commission”. If Protestants would practice the Great Commission they wouldn’t need to be compromising and diluting their Christianity by letting the State do, with much failure, corruption and damage, what they themselves should be doing.

I’ve written on being “radical” in our practicing the Great Commission here. I do have my own personal challenges with walking the Great Commission confessed here. 

Here’s Fr Barron on this latest encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” 

  

http://youtu.be/LhlwPgUkwWE

What's so disturbing about this discussion is Christians are turning to secular, often anti-Semitic, anti-Christian governments to do the work of charity and care that should flow from their own love and hearts. 

Struggles With the Great Commision

Francis of Assisi

Since reading the book Radical by David Platt, I’ve been having a theological struggle regarding what I can do to bring awareness of Christ to people around the world, and my own witness to Christ, which is very local. There’s the question of what the end game is for people that don’t know Christ; haven’t heard of him or have and denied him. My thinking up until reading Radical was if someone denied Christ, that denial will last for eternity, and not getting nearer to God, being denied God, is Hell. If one had not heard of Christ, then I was of those that thought God would bring them into the Heavenly Kingdom. It’s not their fault. Platt posits the idea it’s Christian’s fault if anyone, because we don’t live up to the Great Commission.

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.”

Platt complicated the issue for me. What if those that have not heard of Christ are condemned to Hell, and are separated from God for eternity? Hardly seems fair. Platt says it’s time to get radical, to take a look around and see how much stuff you have that you can dispense with to get the message out. Can we give more of our time and talents? His message has struck a chord. People are selling their possessions and becoming missionaries, as the Great Commission commands us.

I live a monkish lifestyle; small apartment, sensible and aging car and really no frills. I start the day with the Lord’s Prayer, and say the Jesus Prayer throughout the day. Church, Bible study, read theology, and know that I have an interior communion with God that is constant and true. To keep financially afloat I have a job that commands a lot of mental energy and stress management.  I’m not in a position, nor do I really have the desire to give what up what little I do have. The emotional and financial stress that would cause would be overwhelming, and ultimately destructive. I would be useless.

I witness by my actions God’s grace, and share the story of my redemption. God has not instructed me to do anything other that what I’m doing; I’m in this time and space and know that my reason for being here is for His Glory. What I can do is help create awareness of the thought people that have not heard of Christ will be separated from God for eternity. As I’m writing this, I thinking something I can do is use a Christian ministry to help a third world child get fed and educated.

Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) says in his book Jesus of Nazareth, while discussing Francis of Assisi, “Francis did accept the distinction between radical commitment and the necessity of living in the world.  …is to accept with humility the task of one’s secular profession and its requirements, wherever one happens to be, while directing one’s whole life to that deep interior communion with Christ that Francis showed us.”

I know I’m reborn in Christ, and completely open to Him. The Kingdom of God is real to me. How I’m carrying out the Great Commission is His will; I just had to evaluate where I am with Him, and it’s a good place; I’m where I’m supposed to be. I just needed to be aware of a couple additional things, and we do need to reevaluate where we are probably more frequently than we do. I’m often amazed how God works. A suggestion from a friend about a book, created a lot of thought and prayer, rocked my boat, now Jesus has calmed that stormy sea. .

  

Radical Christian and The Great Commission

I’ve just read a book, Radical, by David Platt. In it he addresses the comfort of American Christianity. He asks what are we really sacrificing? There are people all over the world that risk their lives to be Christians. What are we doing to help them? Billions of people all over the world don’t know Christ. What are we who identify ourselves as Christians doing to bring Christ into their lives? Are what we are doing to introduce Christ, feed the poor and heal the sick enough?

I admit I’m not doing much. I go to church every Sunday, I pray several times daily, and when the opportunity presents itself I witness and disciple. I belong to small groups in our church. It’s all comfortable. At worst, I may have to go to an hour long meeting when I’d rather be home. Sometimes I don’t want to go to choir practice, but go, and it’s always a good thing. Not a sacrifice at all! Geeeeeeze. This is, says Platt, how most of us experience our Christianity. Comfortably.

Jesus told His disciples there was pretty much mostly suffering that was going to result in their following Him. Platt contends we’ve made the Christianity a comfortable refuge and are not doing the things Jesus challenged us to do. There’s the story when Jesus told the rich man to give away his stuff and then he’d be able to follow. We don’t even give away a little of our stuff, yet still claim we follow.

An interesting turn. When we join a church, we are asked if we accept Christ. Platt asks, “Accept him? Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don’t we need him?”

Much of the book are stories of people that decided to take Jesus’ Commission seriously, that in fact sold possessions, and went into the world to feed the poor, heal the sick, and put faith into their Faith. Jesus knew His path to be difficult. He turned people away not willing to commit. Besides telling the rich man to give away his possessions to follow, he told another man that wanted to bury his father first, to let others bury him. He told a third that wanted to say goodbye to his family first, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” As Platt puts it, a relationship with Christ “requires total, superior and exclusive devotion. Become homeless. Let someone else bury your dad. Don’t even say goodbye to your family.”

 It’s a challenge, and far beyond me, I'm thinking at this point. Of course these aren’t absolutes. Everybody being homeless and broke doesn’t make a lot sense, and isn’t practical. We do need, I think, to reevaluate how we are practicing our Christianity. God gave us our gifts (talents), and we need to evaluate if and how we’re using them. He gives some practical advice at the end.

He advises over the next year to pray for the entire world. There are 4.5 billion people that don’t know Christ, and over a billion that live on the edge of starvation. Those of us that pray know the power of it. It’s a huge order, praying for the entire world. He provides us a guide, “Operation World”, and the website is www.operationworld.org.

He challenges us to read the entire Bible over the next year. Combined with praying, he asks, how much will your life radically change? I try and fail every year. I mean really, Leviticus?

He challenges us to not only tithe, but sacrifice. Give a little more. He advises to be prudent and careful, making sure your money goes to where it’s supposed to. Give more of your time.

Go somewhere, another neighborhood, town, even country if you can. He challenges us to get out of our “context” and disciple.

Lastly, he challenges us to be strongly involved in our Faith Community.

Radicalthebook.com

I must confess, I let these things pass. Someone else will do it, and I'll just support them. I have to ask myself, do I have the Faith it takes to step up to the plate of  The Great Commission:

 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.”