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albertfinch · 2 years ago

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OUT-RESURRECTION

In Philippians 3:5-10, Paul gives expression to the fact that there is much that can be apprehended and experienced beyond that which he had previously known.

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death...not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:10, 12

He has come to know that the Lord can be personally, intimately known. The Jews of his day did not have this concept, as they saw only the structured religious system which they sought to protect.

Paul said, "That I might know Him." This is a "knowing" that transcends all religious doctrine and activities and finds its fulfillment in deep personal communion with the Lord. It includes not only information about Jesus, but an ongoing involvement with Him, as He leads and directs. We must first come to Jesus, before we can be sent.

"Come, My beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appears, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you My love." Song of Solomon 7:11-12

THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

This will lead us toward a place of identification with Jesus that few experience - "The fellowship of His sufferings." Examples of this are the sufferings of the Lord over lost humanity, and the dullness of our spiritual hearing. He desires our fellowship and longs that we come to Him. He has a PURPOSE for each of our lives.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

UNDERSTANDING HIS CALLING ON OUR LIFE

We may not understand how the Lord becomes personally interested in us - as though we were the only person in the universe, and how He has a special PURPOSE and CALLING for each of us. It is not necessary that we understand these things, but it is vitally important that we respond to Him as He seeks to become personally involved in our lives.

When we are too dull of hearing to respond, and as a result, come short of all He intends, He suffers; for as a loving Father He longs for us to come into the best, just as we desire the best for our children.

When Paul became aware of the possibility of entering into an active relationship with the Lord in communion and fellowship, he counted all else as refuse and began to seek that for which he had been "apprehended" by the Lord. The desire for spiritual reality became the priority of his life.

"If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead." Philippians 3:11

Paul was not expressing a concern about losing his salvation. Rather, there is a much deeper meaning that speaks of an "OUT-RESURRECTION " from the natural course of our life experience, into the realm where the Lord uniquely puts His hand upon us and lifts us into HIS PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE through a cooperative relationship with Him.

"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

There is another way to say this. "Many are called, but few will pay the price in order to be chosen." But if we are to come into that which He has reserved for us, we must submit to His dealings, and come His way.

OUT RESURRECTION

We may say, "This is not fair, others are being blessed and are prospering." In our natural, self-centered life experience, this may be true. But once we have submitted all to Jesus, and made Him our personal Lord, we have no rights. There is an "out-resurrection" from all we had known into that which He has prepared for us (OUR DESTINY). Unless we first go down in death, there will be no rising. The extent to which we are willing to go down, will determine the distance we will be brought up.

It is so important that we allow the Lord to do all that He desires in the establishing of the foundation ( Matthew 7:24-27) of our spiritual experience. We must allow the Lord to bring us through even difficult things that neither we, nor others, seemingly understand.

But the Lord understands, and we must trust Him in all things, knowing that He knows what He is doing.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

#jesus #calling #destiny #purpose #bible #devotional #daily word #revelation #inspiration #holy spirit

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xgenesisrei · 4 years ago

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Truth x Peace

The pandemic opened the way for a heightened migration of people into the world of digital platforms. Lockdowns and restrictions on public gathering pushed everyone, especially those who remained hesitant and unconvinced of the value of social media, to nonetheless make do with what technology can offer. And for Filipinos who are culturally wired to connect with people, that means intensified presence and engagement in social networks. It did not help that the shutdown of ABS-CBN contributed to the further weakening of traditional media such as television and radio. More and more, people, regardless of age, have become reliant on social media as their primary, immediate, and at times, the only remaining source of news and information.

Now that creates a huge problem. Some years ago, social media was seen as the bright solution to greater democracy and more social good. The prospect of everyone having an opportunity to air their own personal opinions, views, and perspectives, a space where free-flow of information is possible, sounded like a path towards people getting more informed and enjoying more freedom. For a time it did. We saw the rise of bloggers, influencers, and thought leaders from everywhere. We saw ordinary netizens empowered to join the public discourse on both pressing and amusing issues in our society.

That is, until humans in the digital realm saw the rise of trolls taking over, of networks of organized disinformation poisoning our walls and feeds, and of filter-bubbles and echo chambers being birthed by ‘cancel culture.’ In the past years or so, social media morphed into a toxic wasteland flooded with fake news, causing its inhabitants to suffer online fatigue and trauma, and seeing friendships built over a long period of time ripped apart in an instant. It is like seeing the Promised Land, the Holy City of Jerusalem, burning to the ground, ravaged by the fury of the ruthless Babylonians, and leaving it with a very uncertain future. Again, the pandemic provided a most volatile context wherein people fought it out in an open mic tournament, trashing the loudest of voices on vaccines and conspiracy theories, missiles in the Middle East, and what remains of Harry Roque’s soul.

A few months ago, Netflix released a documentary, ‘The Social Dilemma,’ that uncovers the mechanism of how social media is changing our lives in ways that we do not expect and will not want, yet leaving us with very little power to stop it. A few weeks ago, MIT convened an impeccable panel of digital experts for ‘The Social Media Summit.’ They discussed the prospects of rescuing truth in a hostile digital environment. The big question being: Can truth still win in a world where fake news is manufactured and disseminated faster than anyone can fact check it? The experts sounded helpless and as a result they looked not so helpful.

The tension lies between the need to confront people responsible for spreading fake news on one hand and on the other the need to be open as well to the reality that truth not only has two sides but multiple sides and therefore demanding the idea of being willing to listen to ideas you don’t agree with and people you don’t like.

Towards the end, the MIT summit came up with plans of action that centers, more or less, on the following: “shine light on falsehood,” “bear witness to the truth,” “speak truth to power,” and other similar admonitions that any IVCF-er will be able to quickly connect to not a few passages in the New Testament.

Hearing MIT’s panel of experts, who are by no means church people, much less theists, convinced me that Christians do have something to contribute in winning the war against falsehood without necessarily ripping apart families, friendships, and for God’s sake, faith communities.

So, how do we do this? I will not pretend that this can be tackled in a short time, much less by a single individual. But perhaps I will be able to help in laying down a map of the digital landscape which can serve as a point of departure for those who care enough to find a possible resolution. I will also try to sketch a biblical framing that can serve as initial stepping stones for the path ahead.

Digital Mapping: Maze, Spaces, and Faces. I think it will be helpful to identify the different spaces wherein people are moving in and out of as they engage in social media. At the very least, there are three spaces that we need to pay attention to: first, the terrain of today’s digital environment; second, the virtual presence of Christ’s church in such an environment; and lastly, the manifestations of God’s kingdom ever breaking-in. And on top of those three, another set of three spaces wherein the circles overlap.

Today’s Digital World. I already painted with grim colors the state of social media that we inhabit today. Maybe, I will just add that more and more we are seeing a world undeniably shaped by its digital soul. Definitely, there remains a digital gap, considerable segments of society that are pushed all the more to the margins in the ensuing massive migration to the digital sphere. But as the pandemic rendered digital technology as the primary means by which people communicate and connect to one another, government and private industries, community pantries included, the virtual is already part of our everyday reality. In fact, the virtual has become real. And this is where the reminder of Neil Postman, chair of the communications department of New York University, remains relevant, “The clearest way to see through a culture is to attend to its tool for conversation (Amusing Ourselves to Death, 1985).” Today, the conversations that shape our public discourse and our social imagination is greatly influenced by what we can Like and Share.

Church Presence in Social Media. The next circle, the status of the church’s digital presence, is the one that should cause a bit more of panic and stress on our mental health. Everyone knows that supposedly the church is sent into the world to serve as its “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-16). And because church people are by no means ‘bulletproof’, Apostle Paul gave a strong reminder of not letting the world provide the mold by which Christians are to conform themselves (Romans 12:2). Instead, they are to be people who keep their minds renewed and transformed into the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. But the more we examine how churches conducted themselves in social media, the less it appears faithful to its calling.

Looking at the overlap of the circles of today’s digital world and the church’s digital persona, we will find that there is hardly any difference on how Christians, pastors and church leaders included, can treat one another, trash each other, and treat unverified information as gospel truths. A quick visit to some of the more popular ‘Christian’ FB groups will reveal the amount of salt worth trampling and amount of light sucked in a blackhole. All as a result of defending and insisting for what they believe in their hearts is true and just. This is where the mix of religion and propaganda can even be more damaging. Church people fight for political opinions not only for the sake of the common good but in the name of biblical faithfulness. To differ is to risk being branded as heretical if not altogether evil. And, as you can guess, the feeling is always mutual. In a digital wasteland fragmented by fake news and echo chambers, church communities swallowed in these toxic spaces have very little to offer as an alternative counter-culture. In fact, the degree of fragmentation and delusion to half-truths may even be worse. Tragically, this is the face of the church whose character is slowly being eroded by its digital habits. And, given the formative impact, there can be no denying that the virtual is as spiritual!

God’s In-breaking Kingdom. Fortunately, the kingdom of God is by no means limited to where the church has fallen short of and has failed. In fact, the kingdom of God transcends the borders and backyard of the church. George Eldon Ladd reminds us in his groundbreaking book on the topic, “the church is the community of the kingdom but never the kingdom itself” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, 1995). God’s mission of transforming the world, while primarily proclaimed by the church, is not exclusively carried out by people who call themselves Christians. Wherever life is encouraged to flourish, truth is upheld, and relationships are healed, you know God is at work. Regardless, if there are Christians around. The kingdom is ever on its way and it happens that at times the church so often arrives late.

No wonder it escapes not a few how God has always been at work, in ways that defy expectations, and if we bother to take a closer look, through people that will come as a surprise. Suffice it to say that in God’s kingdom, blessed shall be the nazi fact-checkers, the murdered journalists, the oddballs in toxic echo chambers, and even those who find it within themselves the simple act of just remaining sober. They are the ones who are in the overlap of the circles between today’s digital world and the kingdom of God. Unlikely agents of God’s healing touch in a fractured world. They may be far from the church but very likely near to the kingdom. The MIT summit that I mentioned, honestly, is the kind of conversations that I hoped we have in our Christian circles instead of the endless webinars left and right that offer very little help in healing the worsening fractures in our churches.

Fortunately, there is that overlap between the kingdom of God and the church’s digital presence. We have here Christians who are caught in the tension of conviction between the need to love people and at the same time refuse lies. They navigate the fleeting space for hope wherein truth-telling and peace-keeping thrives alongside each other, without the need to sacrifice one for the other. They understand very well that severing relationships for the sake of truth is the badge of fundamentalists and legalists. But they also are very much aware that compromising truth for the sake of relationships is a sure step towards the rabbithole of injustice. Somehow, they know that the two have to be held together. A careful balance which the digital culture of social media has undermined and rendered almost impossible to recover.

But there must be good news that Christians can offer right?

Biblical Framing: Truth and Grace. Do we have anything, from the deep wisdom of the Scriptures and in the clear example of Christ, that can point us to the steps moving forward?

Immediately, what will come to mind is a familiar passage in John 1:14 that describes the remarkable life of Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (ESV).” John the beloved could not have chosen a better pair of words: grace and truth. They sounded great together right? But we know in reality, these are two things that can cancel each other out. We see it everyday on social media. Truth thrown devoid of grace. Grace dispensed at the expense of truth. How could have Jesus made a happy fusion of these two seemingly contrasting values?

There are episodes of his life on earth that shed a clue. Two public engagements are worth noting:

In John 8:1-11, we read of how Jesus was confronted with the case of a woman caught in adultery. Jewish law demands that the penalty of wrongdoing be carried out. But Jesus chose to dispense grace and let the woman off the hook of the requirement of justice. Yet still, he made sure that the woman realized the error of her ways (v. 11).

Then, in Luke 18:18-24, we read of how Jesus dealt with the rich young ruler. Jesus was blunt and straightforward. Publicly, he identified what was lacking in him and demanded what he himself said was impossible for mere mortals to render -perfection. But it is by this truthfulness that Jesus also opens the space for grace to come in (v. 27).

If anything, Jesus could not afford to either just be a prophet who cries ‘woe to you’ or a shepherd who ‘comes not for the healthy but for the sick.’ He is both. I guess, we cannot do so either. Prudence and discernment calls for us which of the two is needed at a particular moment. As usual, context and timing matters. But it may also be helpful if we can wrap our heads around the subtle irony that lies between the exercise of grace and truth:

What if truth breaks into us fully when we realize that those people who are most undeserving of grace are actually the ones who need it most? What if grace grips us most when we realize the truth no matter how painful and blunt is what will eventually bring healing and closure?

In any case, my theological conviction is that the character of God’s kingdom we can best see in the life and example of Christ. Anything less are but echoes that need further fine-tuning. It is in Jesus’ story where justice, truth, peace, and grace all fall into their proper places. Going back to John 1:14, Jesus moved into our neighborhood so that we can see that the glory of God is most fully reflected when truth is wrapped in grace and grace is founded on truth.

If our truth-telling prevents us from extending grace to those who clearly have their hands dirty, then we fall short of Jesus’ words on the cross; “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Except for vengeance and retribution, we will have nothing to offer to those who made the hammers fall, people who have earned the right to become our enemies.

If our peace-keeping prevents us from telling the truth to those who need grace the most, then we fail to follow the badass Jesus who hesitates not in calling people names when he has to. We will have nothing to say in the face of the Pontius Pilates and Caiaphases of today.

The tension between truth and grace shall remain and it ought to. There might be easy resolutions but I am of the view that this tension is part of the “here-but-not yet” aspect of the kingdom of God. So, we will continue to struggle and juggle until the kingdom comes in all its fullness when Christ returns. I will not forget what Miroslav Volf said when he was questioned by the great theology professor Jurgen Moltmann. Volf delivered a lecture that will serve as the framework of his book ‘Exclusion and Embrace’ (1996) wherein he argues to err on the side of forgiveness and grace. Professor Moltmann then asked him whether he can live by what he has written and be able to forgive the bloody Serbian murderers who massacred his people in Croatia. Volf responded by saying, “Well, I cannot. But as a follower of Christ, I should.”

When people drunk with power make us feel they are undeserving of grace and when people’s cry for justice make us want to see blood, we turn to Jesus and let his story continue to challenge us and to shape us. He left us the big picture of what it means to be a good neighbor especially for those who deserve it the least. More and more I am getting convinced that immersing ourselves in how Jesus loved others is what will help us bridge what we can't/won't do as human beings and what we are freed to do as his disciples.

Crux omnia pro bat. (The cross tests all things.)

Conclusion. I want to end by quickly looking into one of IVCF’s core values -holistic mission. Of course, an important aspect of this work is engaging in prophetic ministry, upholding justice and truth, so that social transformation, and not just personal conversion, will happen. So often, this passion for transforming society is what moves people to ‘cancel’ people so that truth shall prevail amidst a barrage of lies. But a good friend and mentor, Dr. Al Tizon, in his new book, said this:

“I see a great need to advance the meaning of holistic mission, to build on the evangelism and social justice affirmation, by understanding the ministry of reconciliation as the new whole in holistic mission. It must be if the Christian mission is to remain relevant in our increasingly fractured world. In the age of intensified conflict on virtually every level, it can no longer be just about putting words and deeds back together again (though it will take ongoing effort on the part of the church of the church to keep them together); holistic mission also needs to be about joining God in putting the world back together again (Whole and Reconciled, 2018).”

The point of social transformation is ultimately God’s longing for reconciliation. Truth that eradicates is no different from the bombs that got dropped in Palestinian homes. One can argue with a formidable case that it is justified but it won’t be a step towards the peace of Christ. Only towards the peace of Rome: Pax Romana (be at peace, otherwise, rest in peace). What is true of Gaza is also very much true of social media.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. There is no path toward love except by practicing love. War will always produce more war. Violence can never bring about true peace.” -Richard Rohr

-Rei Lemuel Crizaldo, “Truth-telling and Peace-keeping in God’s Kingdom,” prepared for the webinar series on ‘Kingdom Calling’ by IVCF Philippines (May 22, 2021)

#disinformation #fakenews socialmedia socialdilemma peacekeeping truthtelling prophetic digitaltheology holisticmission integralmission

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frowzyspeaks · 4 years ago

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Dear White People

Dear White People,

As much as I’d love to sit here and inform you that at the end of this we will be able to all come to an understanding of one another—I cannot. As a white individual, you will never fully understand the struggles of being black in today's society. The factors contributing towards the struggle of being seen and treated different are beyond our control. The most you can do as a white individual is try your best to understand how your actions affect our struggle. There are some things that are done in complete oblivion, however, when an issue is presented, you cannot choose to be ignorant of it.

Our culture cannot be appreciated and glorified only when it is convenient for you, nor can you take credit for styles we created. For centuries, our ‘nappy’ hair, flat noses, big lips, wide hips, and dark skin were ridiculed. In order to assimilate to our surroundings, we convinced ourselves that our features were undesirable since they were seen as eye sores to our oppressors. Our indigenous features and styles were a symbol of strength, beauty, and pride back in the Motherland, and they were robbed of us for the sake of comfort and conformity. Quite frankly, there is nothing that you can do today to apologize for this rift that occurred centuries ago—it is not today’s generation of white people’s fault or problem to deal with. It does become a problem when the very features and culture you were disgusted with become the next trendy thing in white America. Our culture is not your latest trend; it is our roots; the roots your ancestors tore from underneath us. The cornrows that we wore in the fields to save us from heat stroke, the cornrows that we wore as children when our mothers need a break from stressing over our appearance, the cornrows that were seen as ‘ghetto’ somehow became the latest fall trend. The same full lips that we were born with and ridiculed for the majority of our lives, should not be the same lips that get surgically attached to white girls, nor should they suddenly become aesthetic and add sex appeal. Our big ‘nappy’ afros that you tried to convince us were unprofessional and dirty are imitated and should not have become a ‘new’ hairstyle that our white peers can wear. When we embrace our own culture, it becomes a problem, but when white people steal it from us and wear it without fear of negative comments it is extolled. Our culture is not for the white population to alter to their needs, as it is based on our natural state and how we adapted to our environment. It is not your job, nor your right to flaunt our features as your ‘style’- it is for you to allow us to keep for ourselves and do with as we please. Our culture was the only thing we had when we came into the new world, now alongside our dignity and freedom, it has become another thing we cannot have.

If you choose to use our culture for the sake of aesthetics, take all that comes with our blackness. In the words of Paul Mooney, “everybody wanna be black, but don’t nobody wanna be black.” It ultimately becomes a slap in the face to see white and white passing celebrities use our blackness as a way to appeal to other non-people of color. Yet they refuse to take a position when it comes to racial matters. The celebrities that choose to appropriate our culture more often than not, use blackness to sell an image. Yet they rarely choose to acknowledge the trials and tribulations that come with being a black person in America. It is completely disrespectful to only use this image for the sake of beauty if you cannot deal with the ugliness behind it.

We are not black when it is convenient for us to be black. Many white people naively attempt to ‘compliment’ their black peers by telling them that they do not see them as black. The problem with a statement such as this one is that regardless of how you may view us, we will always be black. Being black has shaped us from the very moment we were kidnapped and brought into this country and we take pride in the fact that we are indeed black. Blacks who are “not seen as black” are usually labeled that way because white people feel comfortable around them and do not view them as a threat to their privilege and power. The underlying issue within this is that black people are not obligated to hide our blackness in order for you to accept us and for once “not see color.” Our blackness is utilized when a white person is being dubbed as a racist. In this moment of time, the same friend that you label as colorless becomes your “black friend” to prove that they are in fact not a racist. This may be true, but the fact that you unknowingly only have this black friend because they conform to your standards of blackness is a racist principle in itself. The only way we seem to get positive recognition for being black is if it is beneficial to our white peers.

When blacks are murdered in cold blood by the cops, we take action and are seen as animals for doing so. This in itself is a hypocritical act because our methods stem from your ancestors in colonial America. During the American Revolution, wealthy white merchants committed treason by revolting against their monarch simply because they did not want to pay taxes. They overturned loads of British tea, smuggled, and even lynched to get their point across. The white faces of the revolution are revered in modern textbooks and their acts are seen as the epitome of liberty. In today’s society, black people are murdered by cops in exponential rates. When we protest, our acts are labeled as criminal behavior and are often seen as a pest to society. This hypocritical view that is imposed on us leads us to follow movements such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ because our rights are being altered. We enforce this statement because when we protest over a wrongful death of one our brothers and sisters, we are not taken as serious. Not as seriously as we would be if we were wealthy white men complaining about paying taxes-- a duty almost as inevitable as death itself. In addition, the black people that are murdered are often painted as criminals to provide a basis for their deaths. 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was armed with a bag of skittles, a can of Arizona tea, and a hoodie on his head and the media began to arm him with another deadly weapon-- his blackness. They depicted him as a ‘super predator’ due to the color of his skin and the way he carried himself. When the media attempts to twist images based on prejudices in order to justify murder, it showcases just how corrupt American society is. When a police officer murders another human being in cold blood, they are not aware of the victim's criminal background beforehand-- they are the only aware of what they can see, which is the epitome of prejudice. Prejudice directed towards the color of our skin should not be the basis of murder.

I do not expect you to alter the views that have been etched into your mind your entire life after being informed on why African-Americans are upset. I do not expect you to fully understand the anger and how deeply-rooted it is, or the extent of the effects of your actions has on black people. To do that you would have to be able to feel the full effect of being black by either being black or harvesting love for a black individual such as a child or spouse. And even then, you will never be able to relate to the struggle as it was never directly inflicted upon yourself. All we can expect from you is to accept that there is a problem. When you are informed, there is no way that you can argue that you were unaware of the issue at hand. If you still cannot identify with our struggle, ask yourself a simple question: if you could come back as any race, would I come back as black?

Sincerely,

Black People

#blog

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bishopkenneth · 7 years ago

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“You Keep Using That Word...”

In the marvelous movie, The Princess Bride, Vizinni keeps using the word “inconceivable,” and Inigo Montoya finally replies, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Sometimes we Christians use the same words but speak completely different languages.

Sin.

Hell.

Grace.

Salvation.

Heaven.

These are common words in the Christian world, but what they mean when you say them and I hear them may be worlds apart. And, it kind of astonishes me how much the definitions of our words are the result of the thought systems (the theology systems) in which we operate. What I’m trying to say is, we have our religious ABC’s lined out, where A causes B, then C happens, and so on. And we understand the words we use in the context of our system.

The Coffee Shop and the Flu

I’m trying to think of an example to help show what I mean, and it isn’t easy. Here’s one that might help. Have you ever had the flu? The word flu is just an abbreviation for influenza. But, what an interesting word it is! You see, in the ancient and medieval era people thought the stars in their alignments affected all kinds of things on the earth (think astrology here). They thought that sicknesses were often the result of being “under a bad star.” Or “under the influence [influenza in Italian] of the stars.” Their entire system of how the universe worked, and for that matter how disease and health worked, was completely different from how we understand it. We have two different systems (ancient cosmology and modern cosmology; ancient medicine and modern medicine), but we use some of the same words.

So, some lady from 15th century Florence walks into the coffee shop where you are enjoying a Cappuccino and tells you, “I’m glad I just got over the influenza and could meet you today,” and while she may be using perfectly good words in a perfectly good sentence, and even referring to the exact same sickness, she means something totally different than what you hear. Our Italian friend means, “Good heavens [See what I did there?], I’m so glad the alignment of the stars has changed, because, buddy, last week I was under the bad influence of Saturn, and now I’m feeling much better.” But what you hear is, “Oh, gracious! Last week I picked up this microscopic bug that made me feel so miserable, but my antibodies finally whipped it and now I’m feeling great again.”

SO…

Some Christian walks into the coffee shop where I am enjoying an Americano and says, “I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus, and I am no longer bound for hell, but I’m headed to heaven now.”

What does he mean? What do I hear? We may use similar words, but do we have the same definitions? Are we referencing the same system?

If that coffee shop is in Texas, there’s a good chance he is referencing a completely different way of thinking than I am. Let’s break it down:

“I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus…”

What he means is, “I was a sinner on the bad side of God. My just punishment was eternal torment because I was guilty of breaking God’s rules and he demands justice. But Jesus paid my debt to the Father. He took my punishment so I wouldn’t have to. And now, when God looks at my record sheet he doesn’t see me as guilty, but as not-guilty. Because Jesus paid the price for my sins, the Father has moved me from the guilty column to the not-guilty column. That is grace at work!”

In the arena of law this is known as “a legal fiction.” While it is factually not true (I am still guilty of the charges; I did the crimes; I broke the rules), it is legally or technically true (the debt has been paid by someone else, so I am no longer being treated as a guilty person).

“…and am no longer bound for hell, but I’m headed to heaven now.”

What he means is, “Before Jesus paid my debt, I was headed for an afterlife of everlasting torture and torment. But now, because I’ve been moved over into the not-guilty column in God’s register, I am headed for a place that I don’t really know much about, but it is going to be super perfect and joyous and peaceful, and I will live eternally there instead of in the fires of hell.”

For our friend, salvation is a legal transaction that happens because of Jesus paying the debt and taking the punishment for us, and the consequence is we are technically not guilty and get to enjoy the benefits of innocence.

But here’s the problem: that’s not at all what I mean when I use those words (saved, hell, heaven)

A Recent Conversation

I was in a conversation with a couple of folk recently where one fellow, we’ll call him Adrian, was asking if we were saved by grace or if we had to do something to gain salvation. Someone else, we’ll call him Zachary, piped up and said, “We have to repent.” Adrian responded, “So salvation is dependent on how well we repent instead of what Jesus did on the cross? If we could just repent, repent, repent, then why did jesus have to die? If you have to repent in order to receive salvation, then it is not by grace. Grace, by definition, is something that is freely given. If you have to repent to receive salvation, then you are not being saved by grace.”

Now, Adrian admitted he wasn’t a believer, but was interested in the subject. But I’d bet good money he was raised in the Christian faith, because he spoke the same Evangelical language as Zachary; they were both referencing the same system of thought.

That’s when I weighed in and started speaking from a completely different frame of reference: “Salvation is dependent on us cooperating with the grace of God. It isn't about being move over from the guilty column to the not guilty column in some legal fiction because of Jesus dying on the cross. Salvation is about us being conformed into the image of Christ; us being brought into union with God. That doesn't happen without our cooperation.”

How I Understand The Coffee Shop Conversation

Back to the coffeeshop. Remember the line from the Christian when I was having the Americano? “I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus, and I am no longer bound for hell, but I’m headed to heaven now.”

“I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus…”

I agree. But I’m using different definitions and a different way of understanding. Being saved isn’t about a guilty person being found not guilty. Being saved is about a sinner being transformed by God working in him. It isn’t about legality or technicality. Salvation is about actual change. It is ontological; it deals with the reality of the situation. Salvation is an ongoing process that has a beginning, a continuation (the rest of our lives), and a culmination (at the resurrection on the Last Day). Salvation is, to borrow the words from St. Paul, being “conformed to the image of His Son.” (Romans 8.29) God is doing a real work in us; shaping us, molding us, cutting some things away, adding some things - and his goal (and our goal) is for us to be like Jesus. For us to be like God. For us to be in union with God.

Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t about paying our penalty or taking our punishment. He sacrificed himself in order to defeat sin and death, so that we too may do the same. We aren’t there yet, but we are in process. God, by the working of the Holy Spirit, is in the process of healing us from spiritual influenza. Only this time, it isn’t the influence of the stars, it is the influence of our separation from Him-Who-Is-Life, the influence of our fallenness, the influence of sin. Jesus didn’t die in order to change God’s heart toward us, he died in order to change our hearts toward God. God has always been forgiving, longsuffering, loving, and desirous of our wholeness and our union with him.

“…and I am no longer bound for hell, but I’m headed to heaven now.”

God is not in the torture business. Hell isn’t a “place” where people are tortured eternally by God just because they never believed the right doctrine or prayed the right prayer. Hell is the condition and consequence (in this life and in the age to come) of people embracing their own spiritual disease and refusing the Doctor who is hellbent on healing us.

It isn’t about being “bound for hell” when we die; many people are in the middle of hell in this present life. OK, I’ll say it: there are Christians walking around today who are experiencing hell because they haven’t cooperated with God in the healing program. And they’ll keep on experiencing hell until they do!

And heaven isn’t a “place” somewhere “far beyond the blue,” some ethereal state of being where we go after we die. Heaven is the fullness of union with God. Heaven is being set free from the influenza of sin. We as believers already have a “foretaste” of this (Romans 8.23, 2 Corinthians 1.22), and if we are cooperating with God in our spiritual healing we are enjoying it more and more in this life, and will enjoy it fully in the life to come, in the resurrection, in the new creation. Jesus didn’t come announcing that he was paying God our penalty so we could someday in the sweet by and by live in heaven. He came announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven was a present reality that we could begin experiencing now: “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he said (Matthew 4.17). “The Kingdom of Heaven is so close you can reach out and touch it.” Jesus didn’t come to take us away to heaven. He came to bring heaven to us.

All the ethics in the New Testament, the “rules” we read in the words of Jesus, or Paul, or the other Apostles, aren’t given as laws to be kept so God will love us, they are given as spiritual medicines and regimens that we use to make us more like Jesus, to bring us more and more into union with God, to rescue us from the hell of our own fallen inclinations and to bring us into the heaven of wholeness, of health, of being with God in the fullness of our lives.

St. Paul says it best: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3.18).

Maybe the old Gospel song gets it right: “Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul.”

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albertfinch · 4 years ago

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OUT-RESURRECTION

In Philippians 3:5-10, Paul gives expression to the fact that there is much that can be apprehended and experienced beyond that which he had previously known.

He has come to know that the Lord can be personally, intimately known. The Jews of his day did not have this concept, as they saw only the structured religious system which they sought to protect.

THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

This will lead us toward a place of identification with Jesus that few experience - "The fellowship of His sufferings." Examples of this are the sufferings of the Lord over lost humanity and the dullness of our spiritual hearing. He desires our fellowship and longs that we come to Him. He has a PURPOSE for each of our lives.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

UNDERSTANDING HIS CALLING ON OUR LIFE

When we are too dull of hearing to respond, and as a result, come short of all He intends, He suffers; for as a loving Father, He longs for us to come into the best, just as we desire the best for our children.

"If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead." Philippians 3:11

"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

OUT RESURRECTION

But the Lord understands, and we must trust Him in all things, knowing that He knows what He is doing.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

http://afministry.ning.com/

📷

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woodworkingpastor · 5 years ago

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Transformed minds -- Romans 12:1-8 -- August 30, 2020

The wise man built his house upon the rock,

the wise man built his house upon the rock,

and the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down and the floods came up,

the rains came down and the floods came up,

and the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

the foolish man built his house upon the sand,

and the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down and the floods came up,

the rains came down and the floods came up,

and the house on the sand went splat!

The Bible consistently puts forward two ways of living and asks us to make a choice. Sometimes the metaphors are stark and are presented in terms that are as plain as day.

“Choose this day whom you will serve.”

“No one can serve to masters.”

The narrow gate vs. the wide gate

The hard path vs. the easy path

Other times the choice is put to us a bit more subtly, requiring us to think through the choice that is really being offered to us.

In Mark 8, Jesus tells the disciples to “take up their cross.” The cross was reserved as the method of execution for political insurrection—those who refused to define their lives by the value structures of the nation and the culture, and were deemed to be a threat to the orderly functioning of society. Taking up our cross involves risk.

At his arrest, Jesus tells Peter to “put away your sword…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” This is a command that persons in our faith tradition interpret as binding on us all because of another command Jesus made: “love your enemies.” We can not hold on to both of these at the same time.

In each case, the one who is doing the asking is warning us that there is a choice to be made. Which way will we go? Which path will we follow? Or, more directly, “Who is Lord?”

Paul’s words to the church in Rome are equally stark and clear. After eleven chapters of wrestling with the great brokenness that exists between heaven and earth, and how that great brokenness has corrupted all things, and how Jesus came to bring us all back into right relationship with God, he now describes what this looks like in the day to day goings-on of the most real community the world can ever know: the church.

Let’s allow that to sink in for a moment: Jesus intends the church to be the most real community on earth. Among the many things we love about our congregation, we can add this to it: that as our minds are transformed by the Holy Spirit, we become a forgiving community of forgiven sinners, extending to others the same mercy, grace, and forgiveness that Jesus has offered to us. And in doing that, we become an anticipation of the age to come, a congregation that embodies the reign of Christ in the here and now.

It seems somewhat ridiculous to say that this morning, out here and online, exiled from our sanctuary. But it is the truth. This is as real as it gets, and it becomes the motivation for Paul finding yet another way of presenting to us the great choice that must be made when he tells us that our calling is to put our lives on the line for one another:

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

That is an unusual way to put it, because when we think of religious sacrifices we normally think of their death. Something in the giving up of life provides satisfaction to the gods to appease their anger or ward off disaster or achieve some other desirable outcome.

But in the faith tradition of Jesus, the sacrifice is experienced in our living, not in our dying. Not everyone believes this. They might not say it out loud, but a lot of people practice a ghostly, disembodied faith either by waiting around until they die so their soul can go to heaven, or by believing that the misdeeds of our body are excusable matters or understandable indiscretions.

Paul reminds us that our faith is lived out through the very activities of our bodies—the things we do and say; the things we don’t do and don’t say, the places we go, the places we don’t go. Every moment, every choice, every encounter is an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to Jesus.

We come from a long faith tradition that values the living out of our faith as a top priority. One of the interesting ways this shows up is in the very first hymn of our hymnal. When the Brethren and Mennonites got together in the late 80’s and early 90’s to publish a new hymnal, the choice for the first hymn proved to be difficult. A lot of thought goes into what will be hymn #1 in a hymnal, apparently.

As the story was told to me, the hymnal committee struggled a bit to find just the right hymn to be #1. And then they came across a hymn they hadn’t seen before: What is this place. Consider the words, of verses 1 and 3. You begin to sense that church is more than just bricks and mortar and windows and pews, don’t you? The real beauty of this hymn (in my opinion) is captured in verse three. It turns out that What is this place is a communion hymn:

The bread and the cup is a living sign that becomes embodied in our lives as we give and receive justice and peace. In his book Reading Romans Backwards: A Gospel of Peace in the Midst of Empire, Scot McKnight says it this way:

Christian sacrifice is an embodied way of life offered to the invisible but ever-present God. What they do is their sacrifice: when they speak, listen, embrace, eat, drink, love, have sexual relations, guide children, offer wisdom, work, garden, pay taxes, offer visible expressions of care, respect, approve and disapprove, pray, participate in fellowship and worship and instruction…one could go on. Their sacrifice is their embodied life (28-29).

Transformed minds

And so Paul tells us to

not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our] minds (Romans 12:2)

He tells us this because our minds are not neutral in the living out of our salvation, the giving and receiving of grace, justice, and peace. Because what we dwell on has such a powerful influence over our thinking and our behavior, Paul actually has quite a bit in to say in his letters about our minds:

Our minds can become debased by sin, which leads to more sin (Romans 1)

Our minds can become “puffed up” by idle notions, leading to our becoming separated from God (Colossians 2:18ff)

Our thinking can become “futile” (Ephesians 4:17), “unsettled” (2 Thessalonians 2:2), or “depraved” (2 Timothy 3:8).

These are real situations; we all have friends whom we’ve watched become consumed with anger or rage or hatred. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we see it played out when the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Ebenezer Scrooge back to when his fiancée breaks up with him. Belle says (clip begins at 2:40):

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Scrooge is silent, because he knows it’s true. His mind was pulled away from his love.

Our minds are to be transformed in Christ, that we may discern the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The church, again

Whenever Paul explore the depths of theology, you can believe the church is not far behind. Why are transformed minds so important? Because of what we noted earlier: the supreme importance of the church. Our minds are to be transformed so that we will think of ourselves less and think of one another more. Paul says it this way

I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment (Romans 12:3).

He then goes on to describe spiritual gifts—the blessings that God has given to us to help build one another up in the church, gifts like prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, diligent leadership, cheerfulness.

The difficulty and the importance of this text is in connecting it to the times we are in. I want to start a few ideas today that we’ll continue next Sunday about how the extreme partisanship of our times has the potential to make congregational life difficult and to reflect on the credibility of the church. What pains me is seeing people I care about become so partisan that they just become angrier and angrier, and even use their political opinions to evaluate their theological beliefs and their church participation.

Theologian David Fitch offers to us another way when he reminds us that

Theological disagreement is to be expected in church formation today. It used to be—50 years ago maybe—that people chose their church according to the denomination they were brought up. Today, finding a church you agree with on everything is not possible, and there are new social moral challenges every year. But the church is formed in the midst of theological disagreement. We must have spaces to have discussions about theological and ethical issues…so that together we can sort out “what does it mean for us to follow Jesus in this moral challenge?”

This is the example of Paul and his churches, Christians who wrestled with how to take people from different backgrounds, different philosophical and theological understandings, and different socio-economic groups so that they could be united in Christ. What unites us is to be more powerful than what divides us. And it starts with seeking the mercies of God so that our minds can be transformed and our bodies can be offered as living sacrifices so that we may honor one another and bring glory to Jesus as a faithful congregation bearing witness for Christ.

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albertfinch · 5 years ago

Photo

OUT-RESURRECTION

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death...not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:10, 12

"The power of His resurrection" can only be experienced after we have surrendered the totality of our being to the Lord, and died to our self-life and ways. Only then can we identify ourselves with Jesus in the "power of His resurrection." This will lead us toward a place of identification with Jesus that few experience - "The fellowship of His sufferings." Examples of this are the sufferings of the Lord over lost humanity and the dullness of our spiritual hearing. He desires our fellowship and longs that we come to Him. He has a PURPOSE for each of our lives.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

UNDERSTANDING HIS CALLING ON OUR LIFE

"If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead." Philippians 3:11 Paul was not expressing a concern about losing his salvation. Rather, there is a much deeper meaning that speaks of an "OUT-RESURRECTION " from the natural course of our life experience, into the realm where the Lord uniquely puts His hand upon us and lifts us into HIS PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE through a cooperative relationship with Him.

"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14 There is another way to say this. "Many are called, but few will pay the price in order to be chosen." But if we are to come into that which He has reserved for us, we must submit to His dealings, and come His way.

OUT-RESURRECTION

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

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didanawisgi · 5 years ago

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A Letter on Justice and Open Debate

July 7, 2020

The below letter will be appearing in the Letters section of the magazine’s October issue. We welcome responses at [email protected]

“Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial. Powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society, not least in higher education, journalism, philanthropy, and the arts. But this needed reckoning has also intensified a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity. As we applaud the first development, we also raise our voices against the second. The forces of illiberalism are gaining strength throughout the world and have a powerful ally in Donald Trump, who represents a real threat to democracy. But resistance must not be allowed to harden into its own brand of dogma or coercion—which right-wing demagogues are already exploiting. The democratic inclusion we want can be achieved only if we speak out against the intolerant climate that has set in on all sides.

The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted. While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty. We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters. But it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought. More troubling still, institutional leaders, in a spirit of panicked damage control, are delivering hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms. Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study; and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes. Whatever the arguments around each particular incident, the result has been to steadily narrow the boundaries of what can be said without the threat of reprisal. We are already paying the price in greater risk aversion among writers, artists, and journalists who fear for their livelihoods if they depart from the consensus, or even lack sufficient zeal in agreement.

This stifling atmosphere will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time. The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away. We refuse any false choice between justice and freedom, which cannot exist without each other. As writers we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk taking, and even mistakes. We need to preserve the possibility of good-faith disagreement without dire professional consequences. If we won’t defend the very thing on which our work depends, we shouldn’t expect the public or the state to defend it for us.”

Elliot Ackerman Saladin Ambar, Rutgers University Martin Amis Anne Applebaum Marie Arana, author Margaret Atwood John Banville Mia Bay, historian Louis Begley, writer Roger Berkowitz, Bard College Paul Berman, writer Sheri Berman, Barnard College Reginald Dwayne Betts, poet Neil Blair, agent David W. Blight, Yale University Jennifer Finney Boylan, author David Bromwich David Brooks, columnist Ian Buruma, Bard College Lea Carpenter Noam Chomsky, MIT (emeritus) Nicholas A. Christakis, Yale University Roger Cohen, writer Ambassador Frances D. Cook, ret. Drucilla Cornell, Founder, uBuntu Project Kamel Daoud Meghan Daum, writer Gerald Early, Washington University-St. Louis Jeffrey Eugenides, writer Dexter Filkins Federico Finchelstein, The New School Caitlin Flanagan Richard T. Ford, Stanford Law School Kmele Foster David Frum, journalist Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University Atul Gawande, Harvard University Todd Gitlin, Columbia University Kim Ghattas Malcolm Gladwell Michelle Goldberg, columnist Rebecca Goldstein, writer Anthony Grafton, Princeton University David Greenberg, Rutgers University Linda Greenhouse Rinne B. Groff, playwright Sarah Haider, activist Jonathan Haidt, NYU-Stern Roya Hakakian, writer Shadi Hamid, Brookings Institution Jeet Heer, The Nation Katie Herzog, podcast host Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College Adam Hochschild, author Arlie Russell Hochschild, author Eva Hoffman, writer Coleman Hughes, writer/Manhattan Institute Hussein Ibish, Arab Gulf States Institute Michael Ignatieff Zaid Jilani, journalist Bill T. Jones, New York Live Arts Wendy Kaminer, writer Matthew Karp, Princeton University Garry Kasparov, Renew Democracy Initiative Daniel Kehlmann, writer Randall Kennedy Khaled Khalifa, writer Parag Khanna, author Laura Kipnis, Northwestern University Frances Kissling, Center for Health, Ethics, Social Policy Enrique Krauze, historian Anthony Kronman, Yale University Joy Ladin, Yeshiva University Nicholas Lemann, Columbia University Mark Lilla, Columbia University Susie Linfield, New York University Damon Linker, writer Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Steven Lukes, New York University John R. MacArthur, publisher, writer

Susan Madrak, writer

Phoebe Maltz Bovy, writer

Greil Marcus Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center Kati Marton, author Debra Mashek, scholar Deirdre McCloskey, University of Illinois at Chicago John McWhorter, Columbia University Uday Mehta, City University of New York Andrew Moravcsik, Princeton University Yascha Mounk, Persuasion Samuel Moyn, Yale University Meera Nanda, writer and teacher Cary Nelson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Olivia Nuzzi, New York Magazine Mark Oppenheimer, Yale University Dael Orlandersmith, writer/performer George Packer Nell Irvin Painter, Princeton University (emerita) Greg Pardlo, Rutgers University – Camden Orlando Patterson, Harvard University Steven Pinker, Harvard University Letty Cottin Pogrebin Katha Pollitt, writer Claire Bond Potter, The New School Taufiq Rahim Zia Haider Rahman, writer Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, University of Wisconsin Jonathan Rauch, Brookings Institution/The Atlantic Neil Roberts, political theorist Melvin Rogers, Brown University Kat Rosenfield, writer Loretta J. Ross, Smith College J.K. Rowling Salman Rushdie, New York University Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University Diana Senechal, teacher and writer Jennifer Senior, columnist Judith Shulevitz, writer Jesse Singal, journalist Anne-Marie Slaughter Andrew Solomon, writer Deborah Solomon, critic and biographer Allison Stanger, Middlebury College Paul Starr, American Prospect/Princeton University Wendell Steavenson, writer Gloria Steinem, writer and activist Nadine Strossen, New York Law School Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Harvard Law School Kian Tajbakhsh, Columbia University Zephyr Teachout, Fordham University Cynthia Tucker, University of South Alabama Adaner Usmani, Harvard University Chloe Valdary Helen Vendler, Harvard University Judy B. Walzer Michael Walzer Eric K. Washington, historian Caroline Weber, historian Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers Bari Weiss Sean Wilentz, Princeton University Garry Wills Thomas Chatterton Williams, writer Robert F. Worth, journalist and author Molly Worthen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Matthew Yglesias Emily Yoffe, journalist Cathy Young, journalist Fareed Zakaria

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clementbenech · 8 years ago

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Journal des temps qui courent

11. 10. 2017

De la même façon que les écrivains pimentent une idée un peu banale par l’emploi de l’itératif, artifice qui donne immédiatement profondeur et perspective à un événement (chez Modiano par exemple : “Des deux entrées du café, elle empruntait toujours la plus étroite, celle qu'on appelait la porte de l'ombre”), exhausteur de goût à employer avec modération, de même donc, certains journalistes aiment à inscrire des événements individuels dans un contexte général parfois amplement fantasmé. Je pense notamment à la notion de “génération”. Ce concept répété ad nauseam — cette génération qui a connu, cette génération qui est coincée entre — semble donner aussitôt une portée générale à ce qui est particulier. Mais on sait que le particulier ne fait pas recette... Tout cela m’évoque la pincée de paprika dont les restaurateurs peu inspirés ornent leurs assiettes.

Minuit. Promenades nocturnes dans Paris ; je passe devant des restaurants éclairés où des bandes d’amis sont heureux ; alors je me sens très différent d’eux et je désire soudain aborder la vie avec une telle évidence. Pourtant je sais qu’il me suffirait de franchir la porte pour être l’un des leurs... Je le sais avec la tête mais pas avec les tripes.

22. 10. 2017

Aujourd’hui, un article élogieux sur mon roman dans [magazine de télévision] m’apprend que ma principale qualité est mon “écriture sans prétention”.

23. 10. 2017

Une heure du matin. Lecture de Michéa, aujourd’hui : Le Complexe d’Orphée, sur cette étrange crainte de disparaître dont fait preuve la gauche à l’idée de tourner la tête en arrière (il suffit à cet égard de voir comment la presse de gauche a criminalisé jusqu’au mot passé). Il tourne autour de ses idées préférées : le progrès comme religion, la décence commune d’Orwell, le déracinement engendré par le capitalisme. La clarté de son style et de ses idées donne envie de penser et d’écrire.

Comme je suis particulièrement requis par ce qui touche au lien entre l’homme et l’animal — et à tout ce qui les sépare — sa critique du capitalisme et de la dissolution des liens sociaux que celui-ci provoque n’est pas sans m’évoquer un phénomène de ré-animalisation pernicieuse, sous les oripeaux du Progrès. Un retour, déguisé en aller ! Michéa mentionne ainsi cette triple obligation immémoriale de “donner, recevoir et rendre” qui constitue selon l’anthropologie le fondement, le socle de toute construction éthique — et ce, indépendamment du contenu de ces obligations. Indépendamment, sauf à ce que ces contenus se trouvent en incompatibilité majeure avec lesdites opérations, ce qui lui semble être le cas avec l’égoïsme, la cupidité et l’ingratitude, officiellement encouragés pour la première fois de l’histoire des civilisations (Milton Friedman : Greed is good). Voici l’emploi des moyens de la civilisation (par laquelle nous nous sommes arrachés à l’animal) contre elle-même...

Désir de l’homme liquide : traverser la vie sans heurts. Mais il reste la dureté de la civilisation. Là où il y avait des murs il n’y a plus que des rideaux mais je vais devoir bientôt traverser un rideau de larmes.

16. 11. 2017

À Toulouse, nous nous sommes longuement arrêtés devant une peinture de la conversion de Saint Paul. “Pourquoi me persécutes-tu ?”

17. 11. 2017

Le monde de l’art, qui est le sacré que nous avons substitué à la religion, nous offre un modèle pour penser l’époque contemporaine : je fais référence ici à sa façon systématique — et inédite auparavant — de valoriser l’intention plutôt que la réalisation, la démarche plutôt que l’œuvre. Seule, en effet, une époque pour qui c’est l’intention qui compte aurait pu accoucher d’une idée aussi ubuesque que l’écriture dite inclusive. Ses intentions sont superbes — qui s’opposerait, en effet, à un outil permettant de rendre visibles les minorités et de combler l’inégalité entre les hommes et les femmes ? Comme nous serions bien, tous, à nous serrer les coudes au coin du feu ! Dans ce contexte, lever le doigt et s’interroger à voix haute sur l’efficacité d’un tel procédé ne peut que témoigner d’un esprit rétrograde. On gâche la fête. Cette préférence pour l’intention me semble à mettre en parallèle avec l’impunité dont jouissent ceux qui, aujourd’hui, continuent à se dire “communistes” malgré la liste interminable des crimes commis sous cette appellation. Médiatiquement, on les câline, on met en avant la jeunesse communiste de telle personnalité comme une anecdote charmante. Sur les réseaux sociaux, de nombreux adolescents en arborent les couleurs par légèreté et provocation ; comme si, finalement, les camouflets et les désillusions infligés tout au long du XXème siècle à cette idéologie et à ses zélateurs — je pense ici à Simon Leys face aux contingents de maoïstes — n’en étaient pas venus à bout. C’est que le communisme a pour lui l’intention angélique. Qu’importe alors si son bilan (le résultat effectif, tangible de ses bonnes intentions) dépasse, en désastre, celui de tous les fascismes ?

21. 11. 2017

Montée du puritanisme américain dans la société et retournement copernicien dans la question de la représentation, en douceur. Une ministre propose de bannir la cigarette des films français. Puis fait machine arrière ; mais qu’elle ait pu proposer sans rire une telle mesure montre bien la montée d’une demande morale (l’envie du pénal, dirait le facétieux Muray), corrélée à une baisse d’exigence et de sensibilité esthétiques ; à l’extension du domaine de la lutte répond un amenuisement du champ de la beauté. En bon néo-michéiste, je me garderai bien de juger mauvais un désir de morale en soi, ce qui ne m’interdit pas de juger le contenu de cette morale bêtement hygiéniste et fondamentalement contre l’art. Parole de non-fumeur. Le retournement copernicien que je mentionne est le passage d’une conception essentiellement descriptive (ou imitative) et accidentellement prescriptive de l’art à son exact inverse. À entendre nos nouveaux progressistes, l’art — et principalement le cinéma, qui est aujourd’hui l’art-étalon (Debray) — serait une simple, mais gigantesque machine à produire et à “véhiculer” des “clichés” et des “modèles”, bien évidemment stigmatisants et aliénants, puisque rigides. Plus personne, ou presque, ne questionne ce nouveau postulat (d’autant plus puissant qu’il est informulé) — et ceux qui tentent de s’y opposer répondent parfois sur le plan de la qualité de ces “modèles”, concédant ainsi déjà une victoire partielle à leurs contradicteurs, quand il faudrait adopter une posture d’esthète, c’est-à-dire radicalement amorale.

Cette nouvelle exigence morale (modérément humaniste tant elle table peu sur l’esprit critique des hommes) raisonne comme les régimes qui produisent des films didactiques pour édifier la population — je pense à ces films coréens qui mettent en scène un ouvrier pris entre son amour pour son pays et son amour pour sa famille...

22. 11. 2017

Si l’on adopte face à la littérature, comme c’est mon cas, une posture “technique” ou “purement esthétique”, on ne peut que regarder avec circonspection cette volonté d’ingérence de la morale publique. En effet ce qui fait qu’une phrase, qu’une scène fonctionnent, ce ne sera pas leur degré d’adhésion aux valeurs du moment mais leur degré de vérité — et cette vérité se conquiert par l’observation longue et réfléchie du monde et de ses lois, ainsi que des mœurs, suivie d’une lente digestion. Or l’observation des mœurs nous apprend me semble-t-il que la réalité a une fâcheuse tendance à obéir à ce que d’aucuns appellent des “clichés” et qui sont en fait des pratiques allant de la culture à l’habitus. Le traqueur de clichés et de stéréotypes projette sur autrui avec tant de force son propre individualisme, sa propre conception de la liberté comme affranchissement de toutes les appartenances (et les signes y afférents) qu’il va jusqu’à refuser de voir autour de lui combien l’on aime se conformer à des panoplies de personnalité, livrées en kit. Faille connue du logiciel progressiste qui voudrait enchaîner logiquement les propositions “ceci est mauvais” et “ceci n’existe pas” — ainsi les faits ne concordant pas avec la ligne du parti passent-ils par pertes et profits.

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gduncan969 · 5 years ago

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What’s More Important?

Mark 2: 9-11 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

The Charismatic Renewal of the 1960-1980's brought about a transformation of the Church from its staid traditionalism to a renewed and vibrant experience of the Holy Spirit’s power in the lives of believers. This was accompanied by the signs, wonders and miracles described in various scriptures (see Mark 16: 17-18, Romans 12: 6-8, and 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11) and it spread like a tsunami through the ranks of the traditional churches, by-passing much of the clergy and their schools of theology who were often frightened or even offended by its impact on their congregations. Denominational barriers were set aside as people from every church, both catholic and protestant, came together to worship the Lord Jesus in spirit and truth and to be baptised with His Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. The result has been a renewed fervour for the Power of God within the churches as seen in miraculous healings, deliverance from demons, words of wisdom and knowledge, prophecies and other gifts of the Holy Spirit which are now a regular part of their worship time together. This, in turn, caught the world’s attention and churches where these gifts are in operation are filled to overflowing while many that reject them are closing down and selling their buildings. Lately, though, within the western charismatic/pentecostal churches, there has been a gradual shift in focus away from the free exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in favour of a more orderly, more appealing, “user-friendly” church service, geared to making strangers feel comfortable and avoiding any possible conflict. Nevertheless, for those churches willing to give control of the service to the Holy Spirit, He distributes his gifts “severally as He wills” to those within the pews and on the platform for the purpose of building up the church through these supernatural manifestations but they can be threatening to those who want to follow a pre-printed (or unprinted) “Order of Service” or a platform ministry which refuses to allow the Holy Spirit to move out among the people occupying the pews. Many believers are genuinely afraid of anything that smacks of the supernatural such as speaking in tongues, prophecies, etc., and want nothing to do with it. As Paul says in Romans 8:6,7 ”For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal (natural) mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. In the persecuted Church in the east, the opposite is true and miracles still abound through the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. The latest research shows the fastest growing church in the world on a per capita basis is in, of all places, Iran, followed by China! In both countries, house-churches abound and persecution is great but the Holy Spirit is present in Power in their meetings.

Everyone loves to see a miracle or at least hear or read about one. It lifts us up and gives us courage to believe that “What he’s done for others, He’ll do for you” as the old song says. All of us want to see more miracles and I’m sure are praying for them in our own lives and the lives of others, indeed, for many of us, the need for a miracle can be all-consuming because of some dire circumstance we find ourselves in. I was once told by an old friend, when you have prayed your heart out for a miracle and nothing has changed then stop praying about the problem and start to fall in love with Jesus all over again by focussing on Him. Spend your time worshipping Him and as you do, you will begin to see your problem through His eyes and in that light turn again to your problem and see it resolved.

The verses at the head of this article are from Mark 2: 9-11 and are taken from an incident when Jesus was preaching in a house packed solid with people. Four friends brought along a paralysed man to be prayed for but they couldn’t get in the door for the crowd, so, with great boldness, they climbed on to the roof, lifted the heavy stone tiles and lowered him down on a rope right at Jesus’ feet. Now all that was needed was for Jesus to say “Rise up and walk” and he would be healed. But that’s not what happened! When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you”. The scribes got upset and the crowd—including me, if I had been there, got disappointed. Who needs to hear “your sins are forgiven you” when you can’t walk? That’s not why the four men went to all that trouble. They wanted the man healed of his paralysis, not have his sins forgiven. Jesus heard their thoughts and answered both the scribes and the crowd with a question which tells us something we might miss in our disappointment about the missing miracle: “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? If you were there, how would you have answered this question? My answer would have been “Definitely, it is much easier to say “your sins are forgiven you” than say “rise up and walk”. The first statement requires no outward sign of its validity—no external evidence— whereas the second requires a miracle—the man has to get up and walk. I remember sitting next to a world-famous healing minister at a Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship dinner and he told me something I’ve never forgotten: “It’s very easy to say to a large crowd ‘Someone here is being healed right now of high blood pressure’, but it’s a whole different ball game to say, ‘Someone here is being healed right now of a large cancerous growth on their side’ “. One requires evidence, the other doesn’t! Jesus would not have answered His own question the way I would because He knew how different a price He would pay for each statement. The price for Jesus to heal the paralytic was the stripes on His back (Isaiah 53:5) “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” and (1 Peter 2:24) says “..by whose stripes you were healed.” The price for Jesus to heal our sicknesses was a Roman lashing which left Him bleeding and bruised but alive! The price to forgive our sins required a far greater sacrifice, His very life offered up on Calvary’s cross! So, which do you now think was easier for Jesus to say? Also, ask yourself what was the paralytic’s greatest need? What is anyone’s greatest need? It’s not the healing of our broken bodies but the salvation of our immortal souls and isn’t it great that He does both! He met the paralytic’s greatest need first and likewise ours.

It’s great to get excited about the wonderful miracles the Lord is doing today in healing the sick and delivering from demons because it sets captives free and shows the world that God is real and loves us but these miracles point to something much greater, the Lord Himself. We must never make miracles the object or purpose of our service else our love will grow cold and our churches will empty because we have left our first love—Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Miracles will lead many unbelievers to Christ but they must follow, not lead the activities of believers. Our desire is to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death”. (Philippians 3:10). If that is our goal, we will remain in Him and miracles will surely follow. Thus we will be able to say, “Your sins are forgiven you in Jesus name, now rise up and walk!”

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americanbackyard · 6 years ago

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Our Rise, Our Fall

One of the most focal things we have been shown in trumpland is his followers, his fans. There is a difference between supporters and fans in that a supporter can be shown reasons why not to support someone or something and there is a possibility that they might change their mind. A fan is much harder to convince that the object of their affection is not worthy of their time or emotions. Trump is one of a million to hold some kind of shine to people and become an icon in the culture of America. Or at least part of America. Not the good part...

A unique thing has happened in the case of trump's popularity in that we can now clearly see that many Americans do not pay attention to anything beyond tabloid type information, regardless of the nearly unlimited amount of real information available at no cost to them. We can now plainly see that there are many stubborn and selfish people out there who refuse to look into things for themselves and choose to join mobs of others who act and react the same way. These are the rabid fans. In the case of donald trump and what they believe him to be, they show us that their lives are not their own, even if they claim to want to be left alone by government and those who are not like them, ie; white christian republicans. The amount of hypocrisy is astounding with these people and there is no way to convince them of the ridiculousness of their ways. Yet they function in society somehow. Amazing how the human psyche works. This is the survival instinct that we see in homeless people who appear to have lost their minds yet still build a shelter of discarded objects and scrounge for food. Rabid fans build a shelter of twisted ideals and scrounge for justification of what really boils down to bigotry and stupidity.

For decades trump has been in the B-level news as if he were the only person with money, surrounded by women and golden objects and living in a towering palace and blah blah blah. Anyone who took a few minutes here and there over the years and actually read anything at all about the man could have seen that this is not the case. What we are able to see now about his history, regardless of seeing his taxes shows that he is a dime-a-dozen developer with no peers and no friends, a multiple bankruptcy failure, a man with dreams but only of himself, which he is unable to make come true due to his own lack of intellect or determination, a con man and a grifter, plus a racist. There is nothing at all to like about this man and nothing to worship as some do.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions...” - 2 Timothy 4:3 (1)

Even those who call themselves Christians who are fans of trump obviously have not read or begun to comprehend the scripture on which their supposed faith is from. Besides the religious aspect of The Bible there are many practicle warnings to heed and advice to be taken. Rabid trump fans do not take advice nor do they heed warnings. If they did, they would not be rabid trump fans. As we have seen for decades this is nothing new though, as televangelists and now trump's “spiritual advisor”, herself a complete fraud, screw over their flocks every second of every sermon... Why are people so gullible? Why are they so desperate? Could it be the same thing that causes people to worship deities that promise a better “life” after death? Try living in the now for God's sake, so to speak.

For some reason, people are able to overlook things like racism, perversion, fraud, lies, and other acts of diminished ethics if what they see is a shiny extension of the worst part of themselves that makes them feel better about being shitty, for lack of better words. I'd imagine they were raised to be that way as they likely did not learn that as an adult, at work, or in college or church, although looking at the messages of some churches, like the Westboro Baptist Church, or various colleges like Liberty University, it is possible but people were attracted to those places for some reason in the first place, and look at some of the fine people they churn out. Also there are many people in history that are beloved but had things about them that would make a normal person cringe. Historical figures today that are relished, and I don't just mean with confederate statues, which is a fine example of praising the wrong people, but popular politicians, athletes, entertainers or religious figures that were racist, child molesters, rapists, or a variety of other things that if your neighbor were one, you would want to kick their ass halfway to New Zealand.

What it comes down to is that people need to look at the reality of other people around them and understand what is real and what it not and how their own lives and the lives of those around them are more important than the lives of who they are fans of, and how they all connect. It's called “getting fucking real”, something that many forget. “Celebrities are fascinating because they live in a parallel universe—one that looks and feels just like ours yet is light-years beyond our reach. Stars cry to Diane Sawyer about their problems—failed marriages, hardscrabble upbringings, bad career decisions—and we can relate. The paparazzi catch them in wet hair and a stained T-shirt, and we're thrilled. They're ordinary folks, just like us. And yet… Stars live in another world entirely, one that makes our lives seem woefully dull by comparison. ” (2) Again, get a fucking life... But they are unable. Why? And how can we help them to help themselves and not affect us all and the whole planet really by not making stupid decisions based on falsehoods and unreality and believing in people like donald trump, Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Paula White, Pat Robertson, Ronald Reagan, Adolf Hitler, etc. We cannot. BUT we outnumber them. SO why are we not coming out in droves to defeat the insanity which enables them to continue in their relentlessness path of destruction and jeopardizes all of humanity on a daily basis? Sounds intense but let's face it, the more folks let politics and religion rule their world the more the corporations and pontiffs will take advantage of them. History tells of this over and over and over again. It's nothing new folks...

We are beyond the two party system at this point. It is now a puppet show in front of us while we have become a mob of idiots versus a huge living room of couch potatoes. We let in the interlopers and the freaks and some of us gladly accept them based on their excuses or shiny false badges of honor while others of us say “whatever” and go about dong nothing to stop the inflow of assholes into the system that we trust to run things while we are running the rat race. There are herds of people who are fired up over things that they are told affect them when they absolutely do not, yet they fall for it hook line and stinker singly based upon the emotions and simplicities of their personalities that their new heroes have honed in on to get what they want from them. “...why do people repose blind faith in leaders or ideologies? How is it that otherwise sane and sensible people become moronically incapable of grasping reality? The culprit: our brain. Still evolving and still primitive, it readily sacrifices rational evidence-based conclusions in favor of primal ones. And so conformism trumps individual judgement.” (3) So is it because we are still primitive? Racists have their own ideas about who is primitive but let's face it, the worst degrees of thought in this country are coming from the rightwing white pseudo christians, who pretty much measure up, or down actually, in evolutionary thought when it comes to primal instincts.

Then there are those who won't vote, or get up and stand up.

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight! (4)

On the other hand many are prone to apathy and burnout, due in large part to the overexposure of the right's flock of sheep and the constant pressing of their presence by the wolves that lead them into their dens. “We use voting as a tool to transmit to others who we are,” explains Eyal Winter. An economist, he works at the University of Leicester in England and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. (5) So while the crazies identify with each other and go out and do what they can to make themselves known, others are simply distressed or depressed by it enough to give up and not take the same initiative to go make a difference and fight the powers that suck.

Let's face it though, which party is the one using the Electoral College to silence over three million voters and give trump the win? Which party is guilty of voter suppression in over a dozen cities, that we known of? Which party is guilty of vote tampering, voter intimidation, poll violations, and supports racism while arguing to abolish immigrants, even legal ones, and who holds children in cages, separates them from their parents forever, allows them to be raped, become sick, or die, and then traffics them out? It's all happening., and we let it.

When will it become unacceptable? When it becomes inconvenient? The easy way out of a major confrontation is to get out there and vote and let your voice be heard. The numbers will speak and cannot be overturned. Not yet at least. Unless we let it. We can easily see the wrongdoing of the right wingers in the discrimination of those who the right hates the most. The GOP is not christian by any means, nor or they civil servants, nor are they compassionate, ethical, scrupulous, professional, or on anyone's side besides their own. They are not the lesser of two evils, they are the evil. The lesser may be the only thing we have to curb them but we can work on that and turn it around. It all starts now, or it never starts, and the end is already here. Will those in the position to make positive change refuse to do so? Forget those who are fooled by it, this is about you, the ones who can make the difference.

Perhaps both sides choose the path of least resistance. But who controls the controlling factors introducing us to our supposed paths? That choice is ours alone. Common sense might dictate which side we take but in the end we should all be on the same side. And politics and religion are constantly used to keep us from doing that, so that they benefit and not us, even though we put them in charge, willingly, when we vote for them to “represent” us.

In the end what is it going to be? Are we all on our own? Is it survival of the fittest? Or of the most privileged? Will the meek inherit the Earth, or will the corporate enterprises destroy it? And will we let them? This is why it is imperative at this point to get things straight and not allow the absurd to flourish and to take command of the things that matter rather than allow the power mad to run amok. It's happening all over the world and has been for a very long time. Is it just human destiny then to drive itself into the ground? Perhaps. But if we are to get to the next level of a civil society then we have a lot of work to do. We ourselves and our fellow humans need to make things work, and not just rely on some suit wearing zombies with a political label. A progressive party is not just a partisan party but one for all, to do what? PROGRESS. There is an entire side that does not get this yet but might learn from example. OUR example. And again, if they won't learn, it does'nt matter if we make our numbers count. They will survive and even thrive, even if they may never accept who helped them do it. That's okay though because that is what a civil society does. It sees a problem, diagnoses it, and urges those around them to try to figure out a solution together without doing further damage or taking the easy way out.

Maybe we are dealing with cognitive dissonance. Or maybe some people are just fucking stupid. I like to think that nurture plays just as important a role as nature though, and that perhaps one can keep learning throughout life to see the big picture and utilize common sense, or at least common decency. Of course, that can only be taught. Or can it? Altruistic behavior is believed by some to be hereditary in many species, so hope is not be abandoned. As easily as hope may be offered up in the form of security and salvation in sensible terms, it can be sold too as something entirely different than what it actually is defined as, something redefined and repackaged by untruths and lust for power. Thus, the rabid trump fans. The ultra right wingers. The fanatical conservatives. The crazy republicans. Not all people on the right are evil, many just conveniently go along with their dimensions which they find themselves lazily confined in. We need to agree on a middle ground of decency and intelligence, of fairness and unity, and only voting and voicing will present that to those who cannot or will not see it. They won't change their minds and we can't change it for them, so we have to change ours and let them see what we can do together.

For once in my life I've got something to say I wanna say it now for now is today A love has been given so why not enjoy So let's all grab and let's all enjoy!

If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided

Just take a look around you What do you see? Kids with feelings Like you and me Understand him, he'll understand you For you are him, and he is you

If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided

I don't want to be rejected I don't want to be denied Then its not my misfortune That I've opened up your eyes

Freedom is given Speak how you feel I have no freedom How do you feel?

They can lie to my face But not to my heart If we all stand together It will just be the start

If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided

If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided If the kids are united Then we'll never be divided (6)

(1) The Bible

(2) Psychology Today, Carlin Flora, July 1, 2004

(3) DAWN, Peter Hoodbhoy, August 8, 2015

(4) Bob Marley, Get Up Stand Up, 1973

(5) Science News For Students, Bethany Brookshire, November 7, 2016

(6) Sham 69, If The Kids Are United, 1978

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franklinyebgamaranatha · 6 years ago

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MÉDITATION DU JOUR

Comme l`oiseau s`enfuit, et comme l`hirondelle s`envole, ainsi la malédiction non méritée n`atteindra point.

Proverbes 26 :2

Lisons 1 Samuel 14:23-45. Je ne citerai ici que quelques extraits de ce long passage.

Et Jonathan monta en s`aidant des mains et des pieds, suivi de celui qui portait ses armes; et les Philistins tombèrent devant Jonathan, et celui qui portait ses armes les tuait derrière lui. Et cette première défaite, que fit Jonathan et celui qui portait ses armes, fut d`environ vingt hommes, tués sur un espace d`environ la moitié d`un arpent de terre. [...] et le pays trembla; ce fut comme une frayeur envoyée de Dieu. Et les sentinelles de Saül, qui étaient à Guibea de Benjamin, regardèrent, et voici, la multitude s`écoulait et s`en allait en déroute. Alors Saül dit au peuple qui était avec lui: Faites donc la revue, et voyez qui s`en est allé d`avec nous. Ils firent donc la revue, et voici, Jonathan n`y était point, ni celui qui portait ses armes.[...] Or Saül avait fait faire au peuple ce serment, disant: Maudit soit l`homme qui prendra de la nourriture jusqu`au soir, jusqu`à ce que je me sois vengé de mes ennemis! Et tout le peuple ne goûta d`aucune nourriture. [...] Or, Jonathan n`avait point entendu lorsque son père avait fait jurer le peuple; et il étendit le bout du bâton qu`il avait à la main, le trempa dans un rayon de miel, et ramena sa main à sa bouche, et ses yeux furent éclaircis. Alors quelqu`un du peuple prit la parole, et dit: Ton père a fait expressément jurer le peuple, en disant: Maudit soit l`homme qui prendra aujourd`hui de la nourriture! et le peuple est fatigué. Et Jonathan dit: Mon père a troublé le pays; voyez donc comme mes yeux se sont éclaircis, pour avoir goûté un peu de ce miel; Certes, si le peuple avait aujourd`hui mangé de la dépouille de ses ennemis, qu`il a trouvée, combien la défaite des Philistins n`aurait-elle pas été plus grande? [...] Et Saül dit: Approchez ici, vous tous les chefs du peuple; et sachez et voyez comment ce péché a été commis aujourd`hui; Car l`Éternel est vivant, lui qui délivre Israël, que cela eût-il été fait par mon fils Jonathan, certainement il mourrait! Mais de tout le peuple nul ne lui répondit. Puis il dit à tout Israël: Mettez-vous d`un côté, et nous serons de l`autre, moi et Jonathan, mon fils. Le peuple répondit à Saül: Fais ce qui te semble bon. [...] Et Saül dit: Jetez le sort entre moi et Jonathan, mon fils. Et Jonathan fut désigné. Alors Saül dit à Jonathan: Déclare-moi ce que tu as fait. Et Jonathan le lui déclara, et dit: J`ai goûté, avec le bout du bâton que j`avais à la main, un peu de miel; me voici, je mourrai. Et Saül dit: Que Dieu me traite dans toute sa rigueur; certainement tu mourras, Jonathan! Mais le peuple dit à Saül: Jonathan, qui a opéré cette grande délivrance en Israël, mourrait-il? Cela ne sera point! L`Éternel est vivant! il ne tombera pas à terre un seul des cheveux de sa tête; car c`est avec Dieu qu`il a agi en ce jour. Ainsi le peuple délivra Jonathan, et il ne mourut point.1 Samuel 14:23-45

Nous vivons dans une génération où les hommes (parents, faux prophètes, sorciers, ennemis etc) sont prompts à maudire leurs semblables. L'homme étant superstitieux, a peur de toutes les mauvaises paroles prononcées contre lui çà et là. On a ainsi vu des gens qui trainent de lourds fardeaux dans leurs conscience à cause de tout ce qu'ils ont entendu par le passé contre leurs personnes. Plusieurs sont ainsi déstabilisés moralement, spirituellement et même physiquement au point de croire que leur vie ne sera qu'échec quel que soient les efforts fournis. Elles vivent ainsi dans une résignation totale ou dans un stoïcisme permanent.

Que dit la Bible au sujet des malédictions non méritées? Le vrai chrétien devrait-il maudire quelles que soient les raisons ?

Situation

La journée a été très éprouvante pour les hommes d’Israël. Ils sont tous fatigués. Entre temps, Saül les contraint à faire un serment en disant que l'homme qui prendra de la nourriture �� Jusqu'au soir sera Maudit . Et tout le peuple ne va goûter d`aucune nourriture. Mais Jonathan qui ignorait le serment prit par son père va consommer du miel. Ses yeux vont s'éclaircir et il va reprendre ses forces. C'est à cet instant que quelqu’un du peuple lui lui dit: Ton père a fait faire un serment au peuple en disant: Maudit soit l’homme qui prendra de la nourriture jusqu'àu soir!

Or le peuple était exténué. Lorsque Saül découvre que le serment n'a pas été respecté, il dit: _Que Dieu me traite dans toute sa rigueur; certainement tu mourras, Jonathan! Mais le peuple s'y oppose : comment Jonathan, qui a opéré une si grande délivrance en Israël, mourrait-il? Cela ne sera point! L`Éternel est vivant! il ne tombera pas à terre un seul des cheveux de sa tête; car c`est avec Dieu qu`il a agi en ce jour. Ainsi le peuple délivra Jonathan, et il ne mourut point._

“Comme l’oiseau s’échappe, comme l’hirondelle s’envole, Ainsi une malédiction non méritée n’a point d’effet.“

Dans les narrations de la Bible, Dieu utilise des paraboles pour nous enseigner des vérités spirituelles. Dans ce passage du livre de Samuel, Dieu nous relate une histoire pour aider ceux qui font face aux malédictions non méritées de leurs parents. Nous pouvons voir ici que toute malédiction ou toute même bénédiction doit être conforme à la Bible. Quelles que soient les injustices et la méchanceté donc nous sommes l'objet, nous ne devons pas maudire ou nous venger. La Bible dit:

La vengeance m`appartient, et la rétribution, pour le temps où leur pied chancellera; car le jour de leur calamité est proche, et les choses qui doivent leur arriver se hâtent. Deutéronome 32:35

Et dans Romain 12:19-21 on peut lire:

Ne vous vengez point vous-mêmes, bien-aimés, mais laissez faire la colère divine; car il est écrit: A moi la vengeance; c`est moi qui rétribuerai, dit le Seigneur. Si donc ton ennemi a faim, donne-lu i à manger; s`il a soif, donne -lui à boire; car en faisant cela, tu lui amasseras des charbons de feu sur la tête.* Ne te laisse point surmonter par le mal; mais surmonte le mal par le bien.

Les malédictions sont souvent accompagnées de paroles acerbes qui vous foudroient plus que des coups de poigns ou une bastonnade. Que Devons-nous faire dans de telles circonstances ?

Nous devons nous attacher à la parole de Dieu. Paul disait aux Éphésiens :

_Béni soit Dieu, le Père de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ qui nous a bénis de toutes sortes de bénédictions spirituelles dans les lieux célestes, par Christ; Éphésiens 1:3

Dans l’Ancien Testament on peut lire :

Parce qu`ils n`étaient point venus au-devant des enfants d`Israël avec du pain et de l`eau, mais qu`ils avaient soudoyé Balaam contre eux, pour les maudire; mais notre Dieu changea la malédiction en bénédiction. Néhémie 13:2.

Amen Amen Amen !

Nous ne devons donc rien craindre. En plus que deviennent ce genre de paroles ? Que dit la Bible au sujet des bénédictions et des malédictions ? Ceux qui les prononcent sont-ils en accord avec le Dieu de l’Évangile qui dit :

Bénissez ceux qui vous persécutent; bénissez, et ne maudissez point.? Romains 12:14

Que le Seigneur nous aide à mettre en pratique les paroles de Jésus-Christ qui disent :

Mais je vous dis, à vous qui m`écoutez: Aimez vos ennemis; faites du bien à ceux qui vous haïssent; Bénissez ceux qui vous maudissent, et priez pour ceux qui vous outragent; A celui qui te frappe sur une joue, présente aussi l`autre; et à celui qui t`ôte ton manteau, ne refuse pas ta tunique. Donne à quiconque te demande et si quelqu`un t`ôte ce qui est à toi, ne le redemande pas. Et ce que vous voulez que les hommes vous fassent, faites-le-leur aussi de même. Car si vous n`aimez que ceux qui vous aiment, quel gré vous en saura-t-on? puisque les gens de mauvaise vie aiment aussi ceux qui les aiment. Et si vous ne faites du bien qu`à ceux qui vous font du bien, quel gré vous en saura-t-on? puisque les gens de mauvaise vie font la même chose.Et si vous ne prêtez qu`à ceux de qui vous espérez de recevoir, quel gré vous en saura-t-on? puisque les gens de mauvaise vie prêtent aussi aux gens de mauvaise vie, afin d`en recevoir la pareille. Mais aimez vos ennemis, faites du bien, et prêtez sans en rien espérer, et votre récompense sera grande, et vous serez les enfants du Très-Haut, parce qu`il est bon envers les ingrats et les méchants. Soyez donc miséricordieux, comme aussi votre Père est miséricordieux. Luc 6:28-36

10. De la même bouche sort la bénédiction et la malédiction. Il ne faut point, mes frères, que cela soit ainsi. (Jacques, 3)

Maudire : en hébreu Quabab. C'est dire du mal, souhaiter du mal à quelqu'un.

La malédiction est un rituel appelant les puissances démoniaques à exercer leur action punitive contre un individu ou un groupe d’individus objet de cette malédiction. Le synonyme c'est jeter un sort.

Donc chaque fois que nous disons du mal, nous maudissons, nous jetons un sort c'est un acte de sorcellerie. Nous voyons que ceux qui le font vont très loin sans s’en rendre compte.

Maudire n’est pas que des paroles lancées en l’air et qui vont passer. Les paroles restent, et peuvent s’accomplir. Faisons donc attention à ne pas tuer avec la langue car plusieurs sont des criminels avec leurs bouches.

Dans la tradition juive, chacun porte en lui sa postérité: « De plus, Lévi, qui perçoit la dîme, l’a payée, pour ainsi dire, par Abraham; car il était encore dans les reins de son père, lorsque Melchisédek alla au-devant d’Abraham. » He 7:9-19 Ainsi les malédictions ne s’arrêtent pas à la personne qui est ciblée mais dans le futur de ses descendants. Si quelqu'un vous maudit, il maudit aussi vos enfants de génération en génération.

Dans la coutume juive, celui qui détruit une vie, détruit le monde, et celui qui sauve une vie sauve le monde. Car si on avait tué Adam, l'humanité n'existerait pas aujourd'hui.

Quand on maudit donc quelqu'un, on maudit aussi toute sa postérité.

Que Dieu nous aide.

Pasteur Franklin Yebga

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christophe76460 · 6 years ago

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Saisissez la vraie vie Voyez-vous qui est Bill Bright ? Bien qu'il soit très peu connu, celui-ci a fondé la plus grande organisation missionnaire du monde, qui compte aujourd'hui 26 000 employés et 225 000 volontaires présents dans 191 pays. En 1956, il a écrit une brochure sur la manière de connaître Dieu personnellement, intitulée Les Quatre Lois spirituelles. Cette publication a été traduite en plus de 200 langues et distribuée à 2,5 milliards de personnes... ce qui en fait le livret religieux le plus répandu de l'histoire. Un jour, Bill Bright s'est adressé à une foule de trois millions de personnes lors d'un rassemblement évangélique en Corée du Sud. Ce qui m'a ébahi, c'est à quel point on parle peu de cet homme ! C'est de Jésus dont on parle le plus et non de Bill Bright. En France, l'organisation est connue sous les noms de Campus pour Christ et d'Agapé France. Dans son livre Je t'ai choisi, que je vous recommande, l'auteure Heather Holleman raconte l'histoire de Bill Bright. La septième vérité nous invite à vivre la vie que Dieu nous offre, en refusant d'être conforme à celle que nous propose ce monde ! Mon ami(e), saisir la vie que Jésus offre, c'est accepter que, lorsque vous perdez votre vie, vous la trouvez vraiment ! Peut-être que Dieu est en train de vous dire : "Mon enfant, cesse de rechercher la satisfaction et le confort à tout prix, mais efforce-toi de garder les yeux fixés sur mon Fils, et je pourvoirai à tous tes besoins." J'aimerais vous convier à faire cette prière inspirée de l'apôtre Paul : "Seigneur, je décide de placer comme une offrande devant ton trône de grâce mon quotidien et ma vie habituelle, c'est-à-dire quand je dors, quand je mange, quand je vais au travail et tout ce qui fait ma vie... Alors que je décide de saisir la vie que tu me donnes, je refuse de me conformer à la culture ambiante ou de m'y soumettre sans même la remettre en question. Tu m'as choisi(e) pour faire ressortir le meilleur de moi, c'est-à-dire toi. Merci, Jésus ! Je suis prêt(e) ! Amen." (Lire Romains 12.1-2.) Merci d'exister, Bruno Picard source: https://unmiraclechaquejour.topchretien.com/

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ruthemerymedia · 8 years ago

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Music Video Analysis: Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd

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Released in 1979, Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ reflects the childhood longing to rebel against the stringent system of authority experienced in school and explores how that same systemic slavery has seeped in to the adult world without detection, the majority of the public inadvertently conforming to rules they barely realise exist.

Another Brick in the Wall, considered by many to be a protest song, was the first single from the band since 1968 and is the only one of their singles to reach no. 1 in the charts. It was included in Pink Floyd’s The Wall, a rock opera made the same year that’s made up of multiple Pink Floyd songs. However, the music video that accompanied the single I think best represents the meaning behind the music. It’s a blend of both live action and animation and includes a chorus of children for the second verse, sung by kids.

The opening shot is a wide shot of London skyline, establishing the time and location. The building framed before a slow zoom out and pan over the city is official-looking and dominates its surroundings, introducing immediately the theme of oppression and power over the people. It’s also (possibly) St Paul’s Cathedral, though it’s hard to tell for sure, which controversially suggests that abuse of power shown in schools is also present in the church. This links in to the idea of all facets of society being under the control of their own systems expressed later on in the video. This opening shot is the longest in the whole video which is appropriate as the song begins relatively slowly. The pace quickens once the camera is launched into the group of running kids, but first it tilts downwards, looking down on the schoolyard from its elevated position. This suggests a figure of authority (perhaps related to the Church?) is always monitoring the public from above, the playground sitting in the shadow of the aforementioned building.

After that long, steady shot of the still city, the viewer I then bombarded with movement as a group of school children race around after each other. The bright colours of their clothes adds to the excited frenzy by contrasting rather jarringly with the previous shot of the grey, smoggy city. The use of straight angles also contrasts with the previous shot’s high angle which enables the viewer to feel part of the gang after feeling the oppressive glare of the omnipresent authority. This is followed by a classic threatening low-angle on a hideous, inhuman puppet of the Teacher, which in turn is followed by a disturbing animation of the puppet Teacher wielding a cane with unusual, frantic movement. Despite the Teacher being presented as the main antagonist, the choice to make him be a puppet in both the live action and animated scenes suggests that he is under as much control – if not more – than his students. This raises the question – who’s operating the strings?

The tracking shot that follows frames a pupil walking down an alley between two towering brick walls, symbolising how they are being trapped by the ominous system as they make their way to the classroom. This is immediately followed by a gruesome and shocking animated shot of the teacher, now a giant, shoving hundreds of his students into s meat grinder, the struggling figures going in the top and exiting the contraption as identical strings of grey meat. This is presenting the school as a place where individuality is crushed out of everyone who enters it and you are remoulded into something more useful. The shocking nature of this shot alone has made it one of the most iconic Pink Floyd images to date. After this point, the imagery becomes a bit more psychedelic, in keeping with the genre Pink Floyd are known for. We watch as a morbid close-up of the Teacher shows his head morph into the head of a hammer, which hits the side of the frame in time with the beat.

The next shot, though animated, is a continuation of the previous shot of the kids walking down the alleyway. As the white brick wall closes in around the lonely, helpless figure of a child, the two ends clip together in time with the beat again, locking them up from the rest of the world and covering the scene in identical white rectangles. This is again a comment on individuality; the idea that humans are, from a young age, taught and even forced to abandon any unique aspects of their personality, to turn them into things to be used to build a perfectly symmetrical and ordered society, is what the song’s about. All the other animation have had, up until this point, almost a humorous edge, with the exaggerated expressions and cartoonish movements of the Teacher character adding a bit of levity to otherwise disturbing scenes. But in this shot, the overriding emotion is sadness. The image of the lone child siting passively as they’re enveloped in brick, the dark blue night backdrop contrasting with the garish white of the imposing walls; here, the viewer is watching the final moments of a person’s freedom before they’re swallowed into the bland society that surrounds them.

We finally leave the animated dimension and return to a live action segment introduced with a shot of a chorus of children singing the repeated first verse. The spotlighting at the start introduces the image in a sudden and exciting way; we see the kids are standing up to the Teacher, refusing to conform to society’s expectations. The lighting then shifts to a red wash from the left, leaving heavy shadows across the majority of the figures. This suggests a more devious tone, the kids now becoming the threat as the Teacher puppet bobs there uselessly. Cutting between the chorus and the puppet and animated Teacher comes across as a shot-reverse-shot sequence, the teacher becoming more frenzied in the animation, suggesting he’s losing control of the class. The low-angle has lost its effectiveness when compared to the shadowy red faces of the students staring directly at the camera. The following tilting shot of a seemingly endless brick wall is cut short by the chorus, now lit clearly from the spotlight, yelling the lyrics into the camera: “HEY! TEACHERS! LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE.” The connection developed early on between the viewer and this group of kids is paying as a feeling of rebelliousness and victory strike the viewer just as much as the kids. This is an example of amplifying song lyrics through visuals; the lyrics in the song are shouted and this accompanied with the shot of the children yelling under bright lights makes I all the more impactful, almost turning it into a protest chant.

The according animation is now repeated as the chorus of children reprises the first part of the song, followed by instrumental. We are left with the shot of the chorus, once again lit red, as we cut to another animated shot, this time of an empty playground, poignantly suggesting that maybe the children didn’t win after all, the single, rotating tyre swing symbolising abandoned childhood as we all conform to ‘the system’ as we get old and tired. This is followed by two shots of apartment building constructed of red brick. By this point, the image of bricks is a symbol for how today’s society was built on the backs of the carbon-copy humans of the generation before, while the residents rushing to-and-fro are too busy to see that they’re caught in the same cycle. The people on each floor of the building are almost directly mirroring each other, adding to the monotonous tone of the shot.

Towards the end of the song, the music video uses an animation technique called the Power of Repetition. In this context, the effect of repeating movement (i.e. the marching hammers) creates a very unsettling atmosphere and makes the viewer feel like they’re trapped in a loop. The red and black colour scheme of the hammers set against a stormy backdrop as the march in unison has the viewer draw connections to images of Nazism and other historical examples of totalitarian dystopias. A good example of how animation uses repeated movement to create an unsettling atmosphere is a short Russian film called Revolver:

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As for our own music video for Lola, we plan on using the same mix of animation and live action and using repeated movement to create the same feeling of being caught in a destructive cycle. We also plan to experiment with lighting in some scenes to suggest that the main character is intoxicated or otherwise disconnected from reality. Perhaps the most fundamental similarity will be the socio-political themes that our music video will be a mouthpiece for; For Pink Floyd it was showing how the education system trained young people to accept the stringent rules of government, whereas for us it will be an exploration of a young person dealing with an identity crisis.

#analysis #pre-production #year 13

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empty-church · 8 years ago

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Even Sinners Do This - As Seen on Sunday

#VOTW

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." -- Luke 6:35-36

Confession

Sermon Recap

Us and Them

It is an "us" and "them" world. We share this planet with those we agree with and those we disagree with. We walk on the same dirt with those who wish to bless and those who wish to curse. From the schoolyards of elementary to the corporate cubicles to the battlefields that span the globe there is an "us" and there is a "them."

Now if you have never stopped to think deeply about how "us'd" and "them'd" we actually are let's play a little word association game. Let's see if we can the group on the other side of the aisle. I will name a segment of the population and you will tell me the counterpart.

Let's start with a few easy ones:

Republican

Management

Man

Teacher

Parent

How about something a little harder:

American

White

Sober

Gay

Someone I like

The division between us and them is so easy to see. It is our way to look at and interpret the world. The separation between us and them is the foundation of all media. Our "news" sources will play to the crowd that is most different from the other crowd, purposefully trying to increase the gaps that we have as members of the same society.

Next time you watch the news listen carefully to how the describe the "us", that is those who agree with the pundits on the show, and the "them," those who are watching another news source. The sensationalism makes it seem that those who do not agree with you are the worst scum on the face of the earth. That a politician who does agree with you worst enemy. That someone of another race is coming to get you. If anyone is not a devoted ally then they are a sworn enemy.

Jesus knows the Us and Them

Now it is important to point out here that this "us" and "them" mentality is nothing new. Since one person became two there was instantly a sense of "me" and "you." I think there is something to think deeply about that Jesus was not the type of person who believed that we are all on the same side.

He acknowledged the reality of this sinful world: that we do not all get along and that there will be differences between us. Some of these differences in ideology are so vast and run so deep that people will turn into enemies.

One thing we cannot do as the Church is to deny the reality of our sinful and broken world. Even though we look for the day of Jesus' return and we long for an eternity of peace and worship, we are not there yet. Sin has segregated us. It is the painful reality of now in the glorious hope of what is yet to come.

But what should we do about those whom we disagree? How should we treat those who are our enemies? This is important stuff, right? Let's look at how Jesus told us to treat our enemies.

Love Your Enemies

""But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

There is a natural expectation to return evil for evil.

To the one who cuts you off in traffic you emphatically return the middle finger.

To the friend who refuses to pay you back that $10 you spread gossip around the office.

To the one who abuses, strikes, and strips you of your dignity you seek revenge.

This is our sinful response. An act of our flesh.

We react to the painful experiences in our life by attempting to inflict pain. Revenge is ultimately an attempted power play meant to recover some emotional stability that we had taken from us. In recovery terminology, we say that hurt people will hurt people.

But Jesus flips the script and calls us to cease the retaliation game.

To the one who hates you, do good to them.

To the one who curses you, bless them.

To the who abuses you, pray for them.

To the one who strikes you, turn the other cheek.

To the one who takes from you, give them more.

To the one who incessantly begs, continue to give.

This is our offering. An act of worship.

Even the Sinners Do That

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount." -- Luke 6:32-34

Before our excuses can even begin to form in our thoughts, Jesus realigns our perspectives.

Jesus calls us out on our lazy desire to take only the easy road. It is infinitely easier to give love to someone who is giving love back in return.

It is infinitely easier to good to those who have done good things for you.

But Jesus gets directly to the heart of the matter. He asks a very simple question, "What does it really benefit us to repay kindness only upon receiving kindness?"

Yes, it is a socially polite thing to do to return a favor and to return kindness when kindness is shown. So why would Jesus question the benefit of reciprocity?

The life that Jesus calls us to live surpasses that of human convention. Jesus calls us to be like him, to live like him, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to conform to him. The term we use for this process is sanctification. This is a continual and constant process that reaches completion when Jesus return for his people or when we die and are united together again with him.

To be like Jesus means to live a life of sacrifice. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that even though we were enemies of God, Jesus still gave his life that we may be reconciled, adopted, saved.

Jesus was not just some dude who taught some quasi-philosophical morality about doing good. Jesus gave his life for those who hated him. He lived out his teaching in full.

To Jesus, returning kindness for kindness was the simplest expression of love that is shared between people. Likewise, anyone can return evil for evil as well. The left jab is met with a returning right hook. The betrayal is paid back with sabotage and gossip.

"Even sinners do that," Jesus says. But those who follow Jesus are called to a higher standard of living. Christians, it is our calling to repay evil with good. In the same exact way that God reacted our rebellion by granted sacrifice, pardon, forgiveness, and blessing, we too are called to go and do likewise.

Anything less is simply living like the sinners do.

A Warning - Don't Pervert the Message

We must deal with one last unpleasantry concerning this passage. It has to be stated these commands of Jesus are not to be used as a magic trick in an attempt to manipulate people.

Jesus never said, "Love you enemies so they will convert to your way thinking." He never said, "Give to others because they will start attending your church."

Jesus said, "Be merciful and compassionate because you Father is merciful and full of compassion."

Doing "God's work" for your own personal benefit is not God's work.

The only reason why we are to do good to those who hate us is that God was good to us when we hated him. The reason we give and expect nothing in return is that God gave his son to us knowing that we could never give anything to him in return. The reason we give our tunic when someone steals our cloak is that God dressed us in righteous nice when all we had to cover ourselves with was filthy rags.

To take these principles of Jesus and turn them into a strategy to manipulate a response from people is a form of spiritual exploitation and it misses the point of what Jesus is trying to communicate to us.

God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be like God.

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the highest, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." -- Luke 6:35-36

"Expect nothing in return" may just be the hardest commandment for the American Christian to follow. Our society is structured around expecting something in return. We work and expect to get paid. We show kindness and respect and expect to receive the same in return. We cast our vote for a politician and we expect him to keep campaign promises.

Jesus tells us to act like God would act and expect nothing in return.

Love because God has loved you.

Do good because God is good to you.

Give freely because God has given to you

Show mercy because was merciful to you.

(Lending without expecting anything in return is called giving, btw.)

So, we are left with this command today - Do as God has done for you and expect nothing in return. Only through the Holy Spirit can we do this, but do this we must.

Questions:

Why is it easy to repay kindness for kindness?

Why is it so difficult to repay kindness for unkindness?

Why would God show love and mercy to those who hated him?

About the Author | Josh Schaidt Twitter – Facebook – Instagram I love cookies and I still buy music one album at a time. @EmptyChurch is one way I live empty, talk faith, and opt in to follow Jesus.

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#Luke 6 #Love your enemies #sinners #mercy

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