He Died So For Less, and What Christmas is About

This is a season where we show thanks for what we have and consider the less fortunate, but unfortunately -like everything else in our materialistic society- this season has moved from a season where we celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus to a place of unabated avarice.  It is sad to see that in this nation we have forgotten how to love our neighbor, how to care about others, how to respect the lives of our countrymen and have become a nation of hedonistic spiritual bastards who have forgotten how to have love, kindness, self control, and basic human decency.  This “American” value system reared its ugly head on Blitz Day, current and former Wal-Slaves know the literal Hell on Earth that this is, which took place the day after Thanksgiving in a Wal-Mart Store in the suburbs of New York City.  What can only be described as a riotous mob decided that saving a few dollars on a television that they really did not need was more important than the life of another human being.

This mob literally broke down the front door to get at  bargains and stomped out the life of a guy who was doing seasonal work in overnight maintenance, which is arguably the worst position at Wal-Mart, just so they could save a few bucks.  Its really disturbing that this guy’s fellow associates were blocked by the surge of inhumanity from coming to his assistance so idiots could get bargains.  It was quite telling to watch the surveillance footage of the EMTs taking the guy to the ambulance and watching a customer just carelessly sauntering by with his 32 inch flat screen television without even giving a glance at the victim of avarice.  I really hope that the cattle who did this enjoy their Christmas and their cheap piece of Chinese crap and I really hope they are able to tell their children that they got a real steal and all it cost was a guy getting trampled to death.  What was even more shocking than the guy getting trampled underfoot was the fact that morons complained that they shut the store down to take care of the injured and the dead.  Yeah, ain’t that sad, they couldn’t get a bargain because some guy got trampled by a bunch of miserable excuses for human beings.

After the experience of working at Wal-Mart for about a year (praise Jesus that I no longer work there) and seeing what happened to this poor man I have reevaluated what Christmas is all about.  I never really took part, other than working retail, in the Black Friday insanity but I did try to get nice things for Christmas.  I realize now that this is not what Christmas is about.  This year I am going to attend Christmas Eve communion service, spend time with those I love, and I am also going to help those who cannot have a Christmas because of dire economic straits.  Christmas is not about gimme gimme gimme, its about giving of yourself.  Christmas is about emulating the love of Christ.  Its about giving to others.  This Christmas don’t shop for yourself, buy stuff for someone who has nothing.  Don’t look for bargains, but look for people whom you can be a blessing for.  If you know of someone who is struggling with their utility bills bless them by paying their bills for them.  If you know someone who is going hungry buy them groceries.  Many of us are blessed enough that we do not need gifts, heck I know this because last year at Wal-Mart lots and lots and lots of people were in the returns line trying to give back their gifts.  Instead of trying to get money for a gift you don’t want how about giving it to someone who may appreciate it.

Trust me folks there is not a foreign power strong enough to take us down, but our greed has a good chance of ripping us apart.  So this holiday season don’t be a selfish ogre, but be a blessing.  Teach your kids to be giving, this is not something they discover one day, so if they complain about what you give them then take something they love and give it to a kid who is less fortunate.  If this country does not learn about giving, generosity, kindness, love, and humility we will be brought low.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.

Which is more Important, Saying you love your Country or Actually Loving Your Country?

Today we will explore what is more important, saying you love your country or actually loving your country. For the past seven years -ever since that terrible tuesday of 9/11/01 – the Republican party has wrapped itself in the flag, talked about how they support the troops, placed flag pins and ribbon bumper stickers on their cars and shrilly shouted “We love America.” Now this is all fine and good and I do respect patriotism and revere what our flag represents historically. However, there is something wrong when your patriotism stops at bumper stickers and lapel pins. Again, I am not against flag pins and patriotic bumper stickers as I have plenty and I love my country. No, the question is what is more important saying you love your country or actually loving your country?

During the past seven years the same Republicans who have talked about how much they love America have led the assault on the very documents and institutions that made America the great land that it is. We have a president who says God Bless America while writing FISA and the Patriot Act which undermind the civil liberties of Americans. The same Republican administration that says it loves America has taken away the constitutional rights of Americans from coast to coast and this is especially seen in the extraordinary case of Jose Padilla. Padilla, may or may not have been part of a criminal conspiracy to make dirty bombs, but whatever the case his constitutional rights were terminated which consequently undermines the constitution’s power to protect everyone else. His first amendment rights were squashed as he was busted primarily for being part of an Islamic organization (the clauses violated were the religious freedom clause and the freedom of assembly clause); his fourth amendment rights were also squashed as they searched him without warrant (a clear violation of Amendment four and the Miranda rights); his fifth amendment rights were violated as they attempted to hold him in a prison without trial until he confessed his guilt; his sixth amendment rights were violated as he was held for three years without trial or even the presentation of charges (habeas corpus); his eighth amendment rights were infringed as he was tortured during interrogation; and his fourteenth amendment rights were also violated. Please understand, even though he was found guilty of the charges against him that his constitutional rights were infringed upon. The government has also actively encouraged phone companies to track phone calls (warrantless wiretaps). Now we have a certain congressman from Pennsylvania who wants to

Sadly the DNC is no better than their GOP counterparts as they too have infringed upon civil liberties. In the District of Columbia (a strong bastion of DNC support) they have established curfews and checkpoints for their residents. The mayors of LA, Chicago, and Washington city have installed surveillance cameras to track their citizens, have essentially stomped out the second amendment (the constitution dictates that the right to bear arms is a right and not a privilege) by banning almost every type of firearm and making the registration of legal weapons compulsory and all of these cities are predominantly Democratic Party strongholds. Officially the gun bans/registrations are to curb criminal activity and the surveillance cameras in NYC, DC, and Chicago are to crack down on terrorism and violent crime, but it seems to me that these new tools of law enforcement are to control the movements and cow the general population. It was also under a Democrat president, Bill Clinton, that the federal government moved in to crack down on people who did not agree with the status quo (here I refer to Ruby Ridge and the Branch Dividian Compound in Waco, TX. I do not endorse the ideas that either of these groups stood for but their civil liberties were severely infringed upon).

Recently the state of Texas cracked down on a crazy polygamist Mormon sect without any substantial proof of actual child abuse. I say all of the above because these actions against civil liberties were made by those who say that they love America, but whose actions say something different. Some will be tempted to say that the recent violations of the constitution are justified because of national security in the post 9/11 world, but I argue that we must listen to the wise words of Benjamin Franklin that “those who surrender the essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty or security”.

The bottom line is that it is far more important to love your country than to say you do. Do not get me wrong, wear the flag pin, you see the flag and hear the national anthem take off your hat and place your hand over your heart, place the support the troops bumper sticker on your car, listen to Lee Greenwood, Randy Travis, and Toby Keith but ensure that your patriotism isn’t just something shallow. Do not get so caught up in symbolism that you forget the high ideas and honorable traditions that those symbols represent. Go out and support your country. Serve in the military, vote, serve on jury duty, pay taxes, but also know your constitution, be politically involved, keep in contact with your congressmen and your president. Write letters, join with your other citizens and make all your politicians know that they are your servants and are only there because you put them there. Pray for your leaders and hold them accountable.

Georgia on My Mind, or Why I Despise the Death Penalty.

The many Americans out there who support the death penalty, I call them death heads (note to born again believers who talk about the culture of life, if you are against euthenasia and abortion but allow for innocent men to die then you are not for the culture of life), really need to wake up and realize that this heinous procedure needs to be outlawed. Your average death head will say an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I will say there came the cross and Jesus pulled us out of the old covenant and replaced it with an agent of grace. Then they will say the gubmint say its okay so it must be. I’ll remind them that in Nazi Germany the Government thought exterminating Jews was acceptable and then they will say well uh innocent people don’t die. Wrong, and this is the issue I have with the death penalty. Innocent people die.

The death heads will say only about 2 to 3 percent of people on death row (only a few thousand) are actually later found innocent of their crimes, but a few thousand people is way too many. One is too many. Tonight in Georgia an innocent man is facing his his last day on this earth. Let us now talk about Troy Davis.

Early on the morning of August 19, 1989 an off duty police officer in Savannah, GA was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Savannah area Burger King. Troy Anthony Davis committed the duel crime of being at the scene of the crime and having eyewitnesses testify against him. Now, the issue here is that there was no physical evidence (in fact the gun that he allegedly used was never found). Furthermore, since his original 1991 conviction seven of the nine witnesses have either recanted or retracted their statements. So we have no gun, seven of nine witnesses who have changed their testimony or recanted their statements and we have a man who has asserted his innocence for nearly twenty years. Oh it gets better, Mr. Davis is scheduled to be murdered tomorrow night at 7:00 EST even though the United States Supreme Court is slated to hear his case starting next week.

This man is a United States Citizen, and he has been sentenced to die on no physical evidence and very weak eye witness testimony. Executing this man brings justice to neither the victim (Davis has still not been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt) or to Davis (getting killed for something you did not do is not my definition of justice). Considering that the United States Supreme Court, Amnesty International, the Vatican, and even the former GOP Congressman and pro capital punishment Bob Barr have spoken out in favor of Davis, I feel that he needs to be granted a new trial.

Davis typifies the enormous problems in the capital punishment system that the deathheads don’t want to address. He is a black man and he is probably on the lower end of the economic scale (lets face it OJ Simpson or Ted Turner do this crime they get a civil lawsuit to 10 years in prison with parole in two for good behavior). He was not the recipient of adequate legal defense due to his station in life because a good lawyer would have gotten the state to reexamine the facts of the case far sooner. Davis is an innocent man and tomorrow night he will die for something that he did not do. I have to wonder just how many people die on death row for things they did not commit. In other words the deathheads talk about only two or three percent of those on death row being found innocent, but what about those who have perished without benefit of appeal?

If you are going to put someone to death, then I implore you to be damn sure that you at least got the right guy. Lack of a weapon, and witnesses who have recanted suggest that Davis’ alleged guilt is highly suspect. If he is guilty lock him away for the rest of his life and never let him see the light of day again. However, if he is innocent and he should die then the state will have innocent blood on its hand. You sentence someone to life imprisonment without parole and they stay there until they die of natural causes, and sure this might cost money, but if new evidence (DNA, witnesses recant, material) is found that exculpates the wrongly accused then that person can go back into society and even restored to his former position. You snuff someone out who is innocent you say OOOOPS and no justice is done.

Sensual Hedonism, AKA What is Destroying America

Today’s topic is one that could be taken directly from the pulpit of a plethora of pulpits across America but it needs to be said. Sensual hedonism, overindulgence, and instant self gratification are wreaking havoc in our nation. There is an old song which seems to be our cultural anthem which essentially goes “I want it like that and I want it right now.” Many of our social problems including obesity, adultery, divorce, pornography, pre marital sex, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, alcoholism, violent crimes, theft, fraud, and identity theft is all caused by our society’s problematic addiction to instant self gratification.

Now if you don’t think our sensual hedonism is a problem then I encourage you to watch television (not cable, just basic broadcast television), browse the internet, and/or shop at Wal-Mart. On TV you will see skankish women talking shamelessly about all the sex partners they’ve had while selling medicines for penile enlargement pills. During prime time you will shows such as Desperate Housewives where people throw off the traditional norms of marriage -love and respect for the other person- and replace them with overt sexuality. Listen to the music of today, Rap, Rock and Roll, Country, alternative etc and you will be bombarded with messages of lust, license, rage, and general hedonism. Women and men are being portrayed by the culture masters in Hollywood as sex objects and vehicles for pleasure.

The websites, other than Myspace (which pedophiles and rapists find very useful for their hedonistic acts which have victimized so many) and Facebook (which is trying way too much to be Myspace lite) and other social networking sites, which draw the most views per page are pornography sites. Harlequin romance novels – face it ladies who read them- are nothing but porn without the pictures and quite amazingly many churches sell these in their book stores. Our culture is inundated with vice and self gratification and we are pounded with it from all directions including the internet, radio and music, television, and the movie theatre. Sadly, however, hedonism is not confined to the realm of mass media which can be shut out and ignored, no our hedonism and greed shapes policy, theology, philosophy, and much of our news headlines.

A place where hedonism is becoming more and more pervasive is the church house. Too many churches embrace the prosperity doctrine (essentially give minister X hundreds of dollars and Jeebus makes you a millionaire glory be and hallelujah), now do not get me wrong I believe the Lord does prosper his people and tithing is essential (not so much because you should expect things in return, but because it is commanded). Lest you say, “but I don’t go to a prosperity doctrine church so I don’t hear a hedonistic gospel” I advise you to consider the fact that way too many churches teach a feel good acceptable doctrine. I am not against churches teaching you to have joy in Jesus, and nor am I saying the church should teach rapture and/or Hell, fire, and brimstone every Sunday, but I am saying too many churches are teaching a cost free form of Christianity where you say a formula sinner’s prayer and glory be you have a fire insurance policy keep going on doing exactly what you did before uninterrupted. While salvation is free, there is indeed a cost of discipleship and while I cannot call out someone who claims to be born again, I will say it looks rather suspicious if you aver to accept Christ as savior and there is no change. There are too many churches, and they are growing ever popular, where there are miracles, healing circles, tounges, prophecy, up tempo movement, and yet sound doctrine is not being taught. Do not get me wrong, I believe in a miracle working God and that spiritual gifts (tounges, prophecy, healing by the laying on of hands, and casting out demons) are for today, but too often the pentacostal churches go to overflowing congregations because people are seeking the miracles and the gifts which are free, but are less than interested in the one who does the miracles and dispenses with the gifts. People are flocking churches (especially Pentecostal ones) to see a show, do some calisthenics, and watch pastors preach much ado about nothing. The gospel is obscured by the circus acts such as the amazing woman who stammers like a baby, the man who sounds like he is having . . . . well . . . . a sexual act, the woman who moos like a cow, barks like a dog, or wails like a banshe. Do not get me wrong the Holy Spirit is still alive, but too often I get the impression that people are trying to draw attention to themselves far more than the Holy Spirit. Bottom line is that the church is now where people go for a one hour feel good experience, but where they do not seek change. Far too many churches no longer equip people for spiritual warfare and help them with their physical and spiritual needs. The church has become a place where one goes to act like a holy fool for an hour on sunday before going back to the carnal old man -that Ephesians chapter Four says we are supposed to die to daily- Monday through Saturday.

Sensual hedonism has also latched onto the Federal Government and how it shapes policy. We are in Iraq because Bush wanted to make a boat load of money for his wealthy friends and because of this 1.3 million Iraqis have died and so have 4000 Americans. Sensual hedonism has led to Enron, the bank failures, adjustable rate mortgages, credit card debt, and the many scandals of the Bush administration. The fruits of the spirit, seen in the fifth chapter of Galatians, would have warded off many of the crises that this country has faced in the past decade.

On a more local level one only need go to Wal-Mart to see hedonism face to face. You will hear the Subway commercial that says “indulge yourself,” and if you worked maintenance there for any time frame you would go “oh please do not indulge yourself.” You will see the children not getting their toys (these kids are 4 or 5 at the oldest) and proceeding to tell their mother (s) to F*** off. There is no discipline, no patience, no self control, no peace, no joy or compassion left in the United States and it will be our downfall. Much as it was the downfall of The Soviet Union, Qing China, The French Aristocracy, the Romanovs, the Weimar Republic, Rome, Athens, Persia, Mongolia, Israel, Babylon and the list goes on and on and on. We are not special in the eyes of God. We are not selected by God- historically only Israel is given any such promise- and we are not his chosen people or generation. If we do not repent and turn from our wickedness and our hedonism then we will join the ever growing ash heap of history.

Have Miracles Really Ceased? If so is Christ No Longer Saving and furthermore why do we Pray?

There is a very dangerous segment of Calvinism that believes that miracles have ceased to exist. These people’s heretical assertions are called cessationism which is seen in the following article from wikipedia:

* Concentric Cessationists believe that the miraculous gifts have indeed ceased in the mainstream church and evangelized areas, but appear in unreached areas as an aid to spreading the Gospel (Luther and Calvin, though they were somewhat inconsistent in this position[citation needed]).

* Classical (or “Weak”) cessationists assert that the “sign gifts” such as prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues ceased with the apostles and the finishing of the canon of Scripture. They only served as launching pads for the spreading of the Gospel; as affirmations of God’s revelation. However, these cessationists do believe that God still occasionally does miracles today, such as healings or divine guidance, so long as these “miracles” do not accredit new doctrine or add to the New Testament canon. Richard Gaffin, John F. MacArthur and Daniel B. Wallace are perhaps the best-known classical cessationists. Articles on this view can be found here: link

* Full Cessationists argue that along with no miraculous gifts, there are also no miracles performed by God today. This argument, of course, turns on one’s understanding of the term, “miracle.” B. B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen

* Consistent Cessationists believe that not only were the miraculous gifts only for the establishment of the first-century church, but the so-called five-fold ministry found in Eph. 4 was also a transitional institution (i.e., There are no more apostles or prophets, but also no more pastors, teachers, or evangelists).

[edit] Biblical evidence

This view is usually supported by reference to Ephesians 2:20 which is interpreted to read that Apostles and Prophets were only foundational to the church (and thus not continuing offices) link, as well as to Hebrews 2:3-4

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”

However, Ephesians 2:20 seems to be the strongest verse with the inclusion of 1 Cor. 13. The verses say that miracle signs were performed by “them” i.e. the Apostles and not “us”. The writer of Hebrews being slightly later than the age of the Apostles, is witness to the events, but not participating in them any longer. Thus, with the passing of the last Apostle, miracles performed through people ceased. Some cessationists make reference to 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 as their main argument, though the majority of cessationists today do not feel that it can be used as an argument for cessationism. Cessationists also argue from the fact that since the closing of the Canon of scripture, the gifts of Prophecy and Knowledge have been rendered useless since no new knowledge from God needs to be given. Sola Scriptura (scripture alone) is a foundational part of Protestant theology, meaning that all truth from God is contained within His scriptures (John 16:13) making further revelations unnecessary and even something to be forbidden (Galatians 1:8; Revelation 22:19).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessationism

Now for those of you who insinuate that miracles have ceased, I ask you does this mean that Christ is no longer able to save? Salvation, that is to say the Holy Spirit regenerating the heart and leading the sinner to Christ, may be the greatest miracle of them all. Here is what Jesus said about salvation, which hints that its a miracle. So for those of you who do not believe in miracles please answer the following question found in Matthew’s gospel 9:4-6

4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.

So for the cessasationist I ask you, if miracles are not for today then are you not saying that the greatest miracle -namely salvation of sinners- is not for today? If you say salvation is not for today then tell me what is the point of your faith? Why even claim to be a Christian if you believe that salvation is not for today. I mean if salvation is not for today then what is the point of going to church, tithing, reading the bible, talking to sinners? I mean without the miracle of salvation -and the movement of the Holy Spirit which precipitates that- isn’t telling a sinner that he is in sin merely saying just so you know you are on the highway to Hell and God cannot save you because he is no longer in the business of saving lost souls? Now I know that some of you will say, “but we meant other miracles don’t happen today”

Okay then why even pray? I mean if God is so impotent that he cannot intervene when you need him most, if you cannot trust on God to guide you through something, and if he cannot change your situation around then is not prayer a colossal waste of time? Better yet why even worship God? I mean a God who cannot do miracles is essentially impotent, dormant, or even dead or non existent. Now some of you are going out to say, but we only meant gifts of the spirit are not for today. Okay, then why do we even bother reading Corinthians and Ephesian which are primarily about spiritual warfare

I mean are these passages irrelavent? If so why are they in the Bible if indeed they are not for today?

1 Corinthians 12:7-13:
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

The Entire chapter of Corinthians Chapter Fourteen:

1 Corinthians 14
Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues
1Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2For anyone who speaks in a tongue[a] does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.[b] 3But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,[c] but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues,[d] unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

6Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

13For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand[e] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.

18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21In the Law it is written:
“Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,”[f] says the Lord.

22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand[g] or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand[h]comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Orderly Worship
26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.

29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the congregations of the saints, 34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

36Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.[i]

39Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Ephesians 6:10-20

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Buh, buh, dyuh thass about Paul, he was misguided miracles are for only a certain time I’m a dispensationalist. Well the idea that God behaves differently in different ages is invalidated by Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. In Hebrews 13:8 Paul writes that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Now lets see what Jesus himself says about miracles and the Holy Spirit, because it kind of sounds like he’s referring to the entire body regardless of when they happened to live in the proverbial mortal coil.

Jesus, as quoted in John’s gospel 14:15-21, emphatically declares that 15″If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

In Mark 16:15-20 Jesus says to his followers 15 “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.“

19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

To conclude, I am not saying we should seek miracles, no we should only seek Christ, but it is ludicrous to say miracles do not happen today, and those who deny that miracles are for today seem to be in the category that Paul warns would appear in the later days in 2 Timothy 3:1-9

1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

So, do you really believe that miracles are not for today? If so, what does that say about you?

The Opening Moves in the World Endgame?

Hello out there, the disinterested cynic here. War between Israel and Iran is looming and it looks like it could be sooner rather than later. According to CBN News, I know I know that fake news show looks a lot like Joe Goebbels’ outfit, Israel is plotting on . . . . well . . . . uh . . . . canceling Iran’s nuclear program in a time frame that stretches from shortly after the November Elections to shortly after the inauguration of the new president. According to the ministry of Christofascist propaganda:

JERUSALEM, Israel – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced last week an attack on Iran’s nuclear program would endanger the entire world. Medvedev’s comment is just the latest barometer of what’s at stake in today’s volatile Middle East.

Collision Course

Russian tanks rumbled through Georgia in its most aggressive military action since the end of the Cold War.

Meanwhile Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues his rants and threats to eliminate the Jewish state of Israel.

Numerous reports indicate Israel is preparing for a military strike on Iran’s nuclear plants.

These forces are all part of today’s Middle East landscape, forces that well might be on a collision course.

“In Israel, people having in the back of their mind past traumas, especially the Holocaust are truly afraid that the minute Ahmadinejad lays hands on a nuclear weapon, he will drop it on Israelis heads,” said Ronen Bergman, an Israeli investigative journalist and author of “The Secret War With Iran.”

He says Iran is Israel’s number one concern.

“Since 2002, since General Meir Dagan was appointed Mossad General Director, the Israeli foreign intelligence service is basically working on one issue and one issue alone and this issue is Iran,” he said.

October Surprise

Many analysts believe Israel won’t tolerate a nuclear Iran, but don’t expect an immediate response.

The last thing Israeli leaders want is to be part of an “October Surprise” before the U.S. elections. But they also know that the window to stop Iran from going nuclear may soon be closed.

“Mossad estimates of what they term as the first nuclear device is at the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010,” Bergman said.

Whatever the estimate of when Iran can produce nuclear weapons, some suspect an Israeli military strike might take place after the U.S. presidential election and before the inauguration of the new President.

Bergman is one analyst who expects a strike at a later date – after the inauguration.

“At present time, if things continue as they are, I think we should expect a very tense, though quiet days in the Middle East,” he said.

Questions that Linger

Regardless of the time frame, a number of unanswered questions hang over the Middle East: Will Israel attack Iran? Will the U.S. attack as well, or assist Israel militarily? And if an attack is launched, what will be the consequences? What would Russia do?

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/446008.aspx

Now here is where this thing gets downright scary. We have sold the Israelis 1000 bunker busters obstinantly to hit Hezbollah and Hamas arsenals in Gaza and the West Bank, but one has to bear in mind that conventional weapons already in the Israeli arsenal could take these out,no these are to attack Iran and lest you think I am making this stuff up here is what the AP had to say about this:

JERUSALEM – The U.S. plans to sell Israel 1,000 buster-bunker bombs which Israeli military experts said Monday could provide a powerful new weapon against underground arsenals in Lebanon or Gaza.

The experts said they doubted, however, that the bombs could be used to deliver a crippling blow against Iran’s nuclear program.

In announcing the proposed $77 million deal, which still needs Congressional approval, the U.S. Defense Department said the sale of the Boeing GBU-39 smart bombs would be consistent with the U.S. interest of assisting Israel “to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.” The Pentagon issued a release on the planned sale on Sept. 9.

Because it is a precision weapon that generates far less collateral damage than heavier munitions, “this bomb is going to be the general-purpose bomb of the next generation,” said Yiftah Shapir, a military analyst at Tel Aviv’s Institute of National Security Studies. He said possible targets would include “Katyusha launchers in Lebanon or Qassam (rocket) launchers in Gaza.”

Shlomo Brom, the Israeli military’s former chief of strategic planning, noted an increasing tendency to place weapons underground.

In Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrilla group, “one of our problems had been that they put many of the rocket launchers in bunkers and fortifications underground ,” Brom said.

One hardened target the military went after in that war was the bunker of Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli security officials have said. Nasrallah survived the fighting, but has been in hiding since the war.

Past U.S. sales of bunker-buster bombs to Israel have been construed as a veiled threat against Iran’s nuclear program.

But Brom and Shapir said they did not think they would be used against Iran, where key nuclear facilities such as the uranium enrichment plant at Nantanz are buried deep and hardened by yards of concrete.

“You would need something a lot heavier,” he said. The GBU-39 can penetrate 6 feet of concrete, and “6 feet is not enough,” he said.

Despite a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that concluded Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003, Israel and many in the United States still believe Iran’s nuclear program is geared toward developing weapons. Iran insists the program is only for producing electricity.

Israel hopes Iran can be induced through sanctions and diplomacy to scale back its nuclear ambitions, but has not ruled out a military strike.

The GBU-39 is “a weapon Israel needs for general purposes,” said Shapir, who questioned Israel’s capability to deal a blow to Iran’s nuclear program. “But attaching this thing to an attack on Iran is propaganda, in my view.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080915/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_bunker_busters

Now if Israel’s plans to take out Iran’s nuclear program and our selling Israel the weapons needed to do the job are not bad enough lets talk about recent developments in Georgia. It seems that NATO is planning to place fighter planes in Georgia officially for the purposes of fending off future Russian aggression. However, according to Russiatoday.com those planes would be used for operations against Iran.

‘U.S. may use Georgian air bases to strike at Iran’
The U.S. military could have plans to use Georgian air bases to launch air strikes against Iran, according to Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin. He pointed out that Georgia would be the perfect base for a potential U.S. operation in Iran.

Speaking in Brussels, Dmitry Rogozin said:

“What NATO is doing now in Georgia is restoring its ability to monitor its airspace, in other words restoring the whole locator system and an anti-missile defence system which were destroyed by Russian artillery. Now these systems are being restored as soon as possible. We have unconfirmed information that American ships under cover of himanitarian aid have delivered all the equipment necessary for the restoration of these systems.

He noted that there it is impossible that these preparations are designed for Georgia’s protection against Russia, since the war in the Caucasus is over and all the security measures in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are being pursued.

“It’s done for logistic support of some air operations either of the Alliance as a whole or of the United States in particular in this region. The swift reconstruction of the airfields and all the systems proves that some air operation is being planned against another country which is located not far from Georgia. What country could it be? Which country is in the spotlight now? Of course it’s Iran, there are no other countries,” the envoy said.

Rogozin also added that if a U.S. military operation against Iran goes ahead, he would have “pity for Georgia, because Iran is certain to defend itself.”

Rogozin called for the U.S. to support Russia’s effort to engage Iran in international dialogue. According to him, threatening and pressuring Iran only “gives Teheran more arguments in favour of building some sort of weapons of mass destruction”.

Iran has been in a state of diplomatic conflict with leading world powers over its nuclear programme. The state government argues that it needs enriched uranium for the peaceful generation of electricity. However, Western analysts argue that the program is geared toward weapon production.

The US hasn’t denied that a military option exists to deal with the Iranian issue. This has spawned numerous theories on how and when the US could attack Iran. To read RT’s report on the issue follow the link.

Nevertheless, David Wurmser, a former key national security adviser to UN Vice President Dick Cheney, has said that President Bush is highly unlikely to take any military action against Iran before he leaves office.

“Two things have to be in place for there to be an attack – and that time has run out, and that diplomacy has run out,” Wursner said in Brussels after a day-long meeting on nuclear nonproliferation. “The feeling to a large extent now is that diplomacy is working, that there is a trend in the regime toward moderation, that pressure is building on the regime.”

The Islamic Republic is currently under three sets of relatively minor UN sanctions. However, the government denies a possibility of folding its nuclear programme.

Iran’s nuclear programme

The Iranian government insists that it is functioning fully in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Treaty’s terms state that a country is allowed to enrich its own fuel to a level suitable for civil nuclear power. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly stressed that the country will not break its NTP obligations. He argues that international pressures on the country amount to bullying.

The UN’s Security Council is concerned that the same technology used to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes can be used to produce nuclear warheads. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has pointed out that there are two outstanding issues with Iran’s nuclear porgramme. Primarily, Iran has not explicitly clarified its position in relation to studies into nuclear armament. Moreover, it has not allowed extra inspections into all of the enrichment facilities. Nevertheless, there have been no confirmed reports of Iran enriching weapons-grade uranium. U.S. intelligence reports have stated that the possibility of Iran reaching a sufficient level of technology to make a nuclear weapon even by late 2009 is “highly unlikely”.

Ahmadinejad has called the UN’s demand to inspect all of the country’s enrichment facilities “illegitimate”. Time and time again Iran announced that it would not yield to international pressures and its peaceful programme of uranium enrichment would remain unchanged.

Fact file

On September 15, Iran’s air force and units of its missile defence force began military exercises across half the country. The scenario of the war games will see the use of spy planes to collect intelligence on enemy moves. Next, the army is tasked with repulsing a missile attack on Iranian ‘objects and systems’. In the final phase of the drill, the army of the Islamic Republic practises destroying the ‘most vulnerable areas of enemy territory’.

Two months before the exercises began Tehran tested new domestically-made missiles, among them an upgraded version of the ‘Shekhab-3’ rocket. That missile is capable of reaching Israel and the Persian Gulf, where U.S. military bases are located. The range of the new rocket is more than 2,000km. The distance between Iran and Georgia is about 1,000km.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/30579

Now America’s involvement in Georgia makes perfect sense, first we take a desire for war against Iran. Second we want our war without Russian intervention. Third we want to pound Iran from all sides. So with all this in mind we goad our ally Mikheil Saakashvili to commit genocide in South Ossetia and Abkhazia knowing full well that Russia will come to the defense of people who are ethnic Russians, and as soon as Russia comes to the defense of their peace keepers and nationals our government instantaneously get the media to shape popular support against them and the Bush administration denounces Russia and sends an “aid” package (read: weapons) to Georgia. Under the pretext of defending Georgia’s territorial integrity the American government gets to put advanced military technology against Iran and with this Iran is encircles on the north (Georgia and Turkey), the West (Iraq), the East (Afghanistan) and the south (the fleet in the Gulf).

The planes we will be placing in Georgia in the very near future are there for a duel purpose. The first is to bully and intimidate Russia, remember when Bush says bullying and intimidation are unacceptable in the twenty first century he is referring to every other nation besides the United States, and the second is for strategic positioning against Iran. What makes this situation so dire is that I really doubt that Russia -especially with their current government in power- will take all this lying down. Russia, because of our meddling in their affairs during the South Ossetian Conflict, is now looking to play the old Cold War ploy of tit for tat. This is evidenced by their increased support for Cuba, their selling of several billions of dollars worth of weapons to Chavez and sending their navy and some strategic bombers to Caracas, their ever increasing ties to China, North Korea, and Medvedev’s recent statements of support for Iran as well as Russia’s increased military and research investments in Iran. The Russians have proven that it is unwise to toy with them and it is almost as foolish to mess with Iran.

The following is the absolute worst, and therefore very likely course of events should we get Israel to bomb Iran. First, Israel takes out Iran’s nuclear reactors. In response Iran calls on Russia to remember their alliance and Iran fires its missiles at Saudi oil fields and our fleet and kills many people. Russia responds by striking Israel. Israel asks America for help and so our fighters and bombers in Georgia, Ukraine, and the Baltic strike targets in Russia. This results in the Russians retaliating by striking back at our airforce bases. In the absolute worst case scenario America and Russia are wiped out in a nuclear catastrophe. Lets hope not, but I fear that our recent actions against Russia and Iran may have opened Pandora’s box and there is no hope of closing it.

What gives with the Pot Shots at the Church?

Tonight’s discussion is one near and dear to my heart and it seeks the question of why does the world take so many pot shots at the Church? As you may have guessed I read a lot of left leaning message boards and read liberal type blogs and while I agree with them on an awful lot it really bothers me how caustically many of them regard the body of Christ. Now I realize that in 2000 years the Church -and by this I refer to both Catholics and Protestants has made its share of mistakes, but in terms of doctrine I do not understand what people’s problem with Christianity is.

These attacks on the church take various forms, a blog called the Edge recently did a story about why people vote Republican and while it did make many spot on observations the writer of that piece, one Jonathan Haidt, could not help himself and went out to try to show that Christians are somewhat less intelligent than the general population. Now while some Christian groups -to their great detriment- do not value or support education I think it is fundamentally wrong to call followers of Christ uneducated or unintelligent. Because I believe in letting people speak for themselves here is the link to the article in question:http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge256.html#haidt

Then there is an increasingly popular film, you can easily find it on Google videos, called Zeitgeist. It is a three part film which in order disputes the existence of Christ, talks about the government coverup on 9/11, and talks somewhat antiSemitically about how Jewish bankers run the world. This film not only goes after the divinity of Christ, but the very existence of Christ. It is incredibly popular and this is quite tragic because while this film is somewhat accurate about the origins of the Iraq War and raises interesting questions about 9/11 it is aimed to attack at the very heart of the Christian faith. Sadly, Zeitgeist is hardly alone in its ambitions and while it is somewhat obscure most Americans have at least heard of, read, or watched The Divinci Code which does nothing but bash Christians -especially Catholics- and Christ from the start.

The tragedy is compounded by the existence of two internet projects where it seeks soldiers and veterans who have rejected God and high school students who have rejected God. Now to me as a Christian and a historian this is somewhat alarming because once the religion that founds a civilization is undermined the decline and collapse of the culture that adhered to it is not far behind. We have seen this theme repeated over and over and over again in Egypt, Sparta, Athens, Rome, and even to an extent Japan and the Soviet Union.

Now I am not saying people should not take pot shots at the church because that is what skeptics do, but I find it very odious when the mainstream media spends time doing nothing but attacking Christianity. The Catholic Church has received the brunt of this wave of persecution, but the attacks on the faith have been seen on increasing levels against many protestant groups. Now when the Church makes a mistake it should seek to correct the faux pas, but to continuously lambast the church makes me a bit nauseas.

Oh Joy, McCain and Palin would March on Moscow if Elected

Tonight’s topic is the extinction of all mankind and the instigators would be McCain and Palin. I love these two. One is a poptart and the other is an old fart who thinks we should reignite the Cold War. Hey Mrs. Palin you “go into Russia”, provided they attack our puppets in Ukraine and Georgia, like you told NBC news you would face a nation that could do great damage to us. McCain and Palin, Russia is not to be confused with Iraq no matter how fervently you believe this. Our nation cannot even tame the Iraqis and Afghans without great difficulties, how do you possibly expect to fight with Russia and come away with anything better than at very best a pyrrhic victory? It would be absolutely full hardy to take any military action against the Russians because any armed action we take against them could be returned in kind against us.

This should be evident already by what is occurring in South America, especially Venezuela, where Russia has recently dispatched a flight of supersonic TU-160 strategic bombers and a squadron of their most advanced warships as well as billions of dollars in SU 30 Flanker fighters, SU 33 Fighter bombers, T-90 tanks, and RPGs. Armed conflict and intervention, that is bombing Russian cities and infrastructure, would go completely against us. We bomb their cities we have absolutely no guarantee that they will not retaliate in kind and keep in mind that they have the ICBMs, missile boats, and intercontinental supersonic strategic bombers which could hit every city in the United States. I ask you, are you seriously willing to risk our great metropolitan areas to defend Georgia? I am not, I would hope that sanity would also prevail in your head.

Now lets talk about ground operations. I realize we have hawks in the GOP -including McCain and Sarah Rapturestar Palin- who will say rock on lets fight em with our overstretched army and say we out gun them and have better weapons. However, I must warn that this is full hardy as Russia crushed technologically superior Germany when Hitler launched Barbarossa, they routed the Japanese at Khalkin Gol, they smashed technologically advanced Napoleon, and before him they steam rolled Charles XII of Sweden and yet before that they crushed the Mongols, beat the Teutons, and even in their major defeats such as Japan in 1904-1905 and The Crimean War 1851-55 they lost no territory. War with Russia would lead to war on Russian soil and nobody wins on Russian soil.

The bottom line is that we should not be antagonizing Russia by surrounding them with puppet regimes who they find hostile. They have the diplomatic ties with India, China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela and an armaments industry that can still hold its own. We put sanctions on them they could surround us and little harm would be done to their economy. Only a tom fool would want to fight Russia.

We cannot afford to face down Russia with childish antagonism that is not needed. We should be trying to embrace Russia, not antagonizing them. Sadly McCain does not seem to get this through his cold warrior cranium.

Jesus in History

Many engaged in academics make the mistake of denying the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. A favorite tactic of many Athiests is to deny the existence of Christ and even the existence of historical documentation of his existence. The denial of Christ’s existence is rather ancient, but it did not gain a strong foothold in academia until the renaissance. The church, both Protestant and Catholic, strongly refuted this outright rejection of the very nature of Christ, but from time to time the rejection of even the physical existence of Jesus has reared its demonic head and this was most notably seen in French enlightenment era philosophes, Marxism, and in European scholarship following the First World War of 1914-1918.

To be fair some of these doubts as to the authenticity of some of the documents supporting the existence of Jesus in secular history have some grounds as the overzealous Christian Historian Eusibeus embellished the words of Flavius Josephus, the noted first century Jewish historian. That being said there is a considerable historical and archaeological record that supports the existence of Christ.

Flavius Josephus is the first historian whose works will be explored, for the sake of historical accuracy the questionable passages will be bolded. That being said here is the passage, in its entirety from Antiquities Book 18, Chapter 3, section 3.:

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews and many of the gentiles. He was the Christ And when Pilate at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again on the third day as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.

Again in the third century the church historian Eusibeus embellished Josephus’ passage to give Christ a divine nature, but the rest of the passage is legitimate. The second historian to be explored is Publius Cornelius Tacitus. While describing Nero’s response to the Fire of Rome, Tacitus describes Christians and their founder and here is what he said:

Such indeed were the precautions of human wisdom. The next thing was
to seek means of propitiating the gods, and recourse was had to the
Sibylline books, by the direction of which prayers were offered to
Vulcanus, Ceres, and Proserpina. Juno, too, was entreated by the
matrons, first, in the Capitol, then on the nearest part of the coast,
whence water was procured to sprinkle the fane and image of the
goddess. And there were sacred banquets and nightly vigils
celebrated by married women. But all human efforts, all the lavish
gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not
banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an
order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt
and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their
abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom
the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign
of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus,
and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment,
again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil,
but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every
part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly,
an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their
information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the
crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of
every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of
beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to
crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly
illumination, when daylight had expired.
Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a
show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a
charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who
deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of
compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but
to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.

This can be found in the Fifteenth Book of The Annals of Imperial Rome Chapter Fourteen

The final historian to be examined is Suetonius who mentions the harsh treatment and the fear of their dangerous superstitions when he writes about Nero and Claudius. In the twenty fifth chapter of his writing on Claudius he writes:

Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.

(my comment, if you want to see something thats kinda cool read Acts 18:2 which says: 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.)

While writing about the life of Nero, Suetonius writes in his sixteenth chapter on Nero that:
A sumptuary law was enacted. Public suppers were limited to the Sportulae [576]; and victualling-houses restrained from selling any dressed victuals, except pulse and herbs, whereas before they sold all kinds of meat. He likewise inflicted punishments on the Christians, a sort of people who held a new and impious [577] superstition.

In addition to the historical documentation there is also much in the way of archaeological support. This is amazing considering that of the original histories of that era we only have a few fragments and scraps. When one combines archaeology, scripture, and history, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that there was indeed a Jesus who claimed to be Christ. This then returns to the original argument of was Jesus of Nazareth a liar, insane, or who he says he was. If he was a liar why did the disciples keep the faith after the resurrection? If it were me and I had saw someone on the cross who claimed to be messiah I would have walked away from the faith without a very real resurrection. For the same reason we must rule out that he was insane. The only possible answer in light of scripture, history, and archaelogy is that Jesus Christ is who he says he is.

What Exactly Happened to Unity in the Body of Christ?

Today there are too many in the body of Christ (the church of all denominations if you will) who are engaged in mindless potshots against their brothers and sisters in Christ and I am sick and tired of it.  Paul, in his excellent blog to the Corinthian church (what they didn’t have computers back then like we do today so when they needed to express something they put the pen to the parchment)wrote at I Corinthians 1: 10-14

11For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius

later in his first blog to the Corinthian church found at I Corinthians 3: 1-4 Paul writes

1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

and in I Corinthians 12: 11-27 Paul further expounds upon this when he writes

11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14For the body is not one member, but many.

15If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.

25That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Paul rails vehemently against fragmentation in the body of Christ and he would be alarmed at the schisms found throughout the body in today’s world.  In today’s world we have protestants who say that Catholics are not Christians, Catholics (western and eastern Rites) who are still dealing with the great schism of 1054, Baptists who criticize Pentecostals for speaking in tongues, Pentecostals who attack Baptists for not speaking in tongues, Calvinists attacking Armenians, and Armenians attacking Calvinists.  All this strife and dischord makes us look bad in the eyes of the world -you would call them the mission field- and weakens our ability to reach the lost.

Now I realize some of you will say the Catholics are not Christian and I will now call you out on this one.  Sorry, kiddies, especially my Baptist and Assembly of God friends,  the Catholic Church is the original church and ultimately all current denominations broke off from the Roman Catholic Church.  Oh yeah and Peter was the first pope and if you do not believe me lets look at the what our Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 16: 16-20

16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Now some protestants out there will say that the Catholics take this to say that Peter is the rock, negative.  This is not true, according to the Catholic Catechism (I’d buy it if you want to know church teaching because people sound ignorant when they say this is what the Catholics believe and they have no clue about what they are talking about) and Father John Corrapi, Peter and all popes are in a spiritual union with Christ but Christ is still the head of the church.

Well, now that we have debunked this lets talk about the Mother of Jesus.  Catholics -and this might take some time to sink in- DO NOT WORSHIP MARY.  The rosary dear friends is merely citing scripture and if you are against quoting scripture then you must not be that much of a Christian yourself.  Here is the essential rosary just for protestants who have no clue about what they are talking about.  This is the rosary according to

http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary2.htm

Start by making the sign of the Cross:

the cross, that wretched tree which God used as the vehicle to breech the wall separating sinful man from God.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The trinity.

Then recite the Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Catholic here means universal, AKA the body of Christ.

Then say 1 “Our Father”, 3 “Hail Mary’s” for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity; and then 1 “Glory Be”:

OUR FATHER, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

(my note: Jesus taught the disciples to pray this)

HAIL MARY, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

(My note: this is merely reciting scripture [ Luke 1:28-33, 1: 46-55])

Even if you disagree with the Catholic teaching on the mother of Jesus, you must admit that no other human shared the joy and sorrow of Christ’s ministry and passion like Mary did.  The various “mysteries” of the rosary all have a solid basis in scripture.  It is telling that Mary was the first one Christ visited on resurrection day.  Speaking of the passion of Christ, among Jesus’ last words on the cross was the statement found in John’s gospel chapter nineteen

25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Now that this is settled lets look at the church throughout history.  I heard a dear Baptist sister once say that “The Catholics are not Christian and never have been” and this always struck me as odd.  The reason for this is that until the great schism of 1053 there was one universal and Roman Catholic church.  In 1517 the second schism was brought about when Luther left the Catholic church over the issue of indulgences and abuse of secular power.  A generation later there was a further fracturing in the protestant church with the emergence of the feud between Calvin and Arminius.  During the fifteenth century, predominantly because Henry VIII wanted a divorce and the Catholic church did not want to give him one ;and later because his descendant Elizabeth wanted in on the global empire game with Spain and Portugal, the church of England fragmented from the Catholic church in a powergrab by the English monarchy.  Henry VIII is on record as saying when the catholic church was established there were no christian kings, however, I am a christian king and I do not need the pope.

From the Church of England, yet more sectarians emerged.  Shortly after the death of Elizabeth I there emerged strife in England between three groups of people.  There were the Anglicans who felt Henry and Lizzy’s state church had reformed enough;The puritans (who eventually sparked off a civil war between the “catholic” royal government and “protestant” parliamentarians most notably Oliver Cromwell; and lastly but not least in any stretch of the imagination came the separatists (these are the mayflower pilgrims that kids dress up as in pagents seen every year on Thanksgiving).

All three movements were affected by the big geopolitical news event of the seventeenth century, namely the founding of thirteen fun little colonies that eventually became the rabble who established the United States.  The Anglicans were the power in Virginia, South Carolina, and after they kicked the Catholics out of Maryland they were there as well.  In America the Anglicans -sometime later- changed their name to the Episcopalians.  The separatists were a bit too small to survive independently and they were encompassed into Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Puritans.  Speaking of the Puritans they eventually led to the founding of the Presbyterians, Unitarians, and Congregationalists.

In the 1740s came the first great awakening and caught up in this new found fervor was John Wesley who established the methodist movement.  Wesley wanted to revive faith in the Church of England (the Anglican Church) and in fact desired to remain in that church, but his followers thought differently.  The Wesleyans -later called the Methodists- were popular in England and very popular in the American south among poor whites and slaves as they supported prohibition, abolishing slavery, and social reform.  At the beginning of the twentieth century the Assembly of God broke away from the Methodists.

Then there are the Baptists.  There is an interesting, but incredulous belief among some that say there has always been a Baptist church from the cross to the present.  However, no serious scholars and researchers have found no evidence of this.  That being said, the real history of the Baptist church is no less interesting.  In the early sixteen hundreds the Baptists followed the Puritans and Separatists in splitting from the Church of England.  The other wing of the Baptist church was created in what is now Germany in 1524.

Another shameful schism in the body of Christ is Sunday Morning segregation.  This was precipitated in this country by slavery.  Black churches and White churches were wrong when they were first founded and the idea is still putrid.

Another schism in the church that I am against is between Pentecostals and non Pentecostals.  First off, I believe in a miracle working God because as seen in Hebrews Chapter twelve God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  That being said I once heard a bitter baptist preacher in a large Kansas City area church belittling pentecostal faith healers, tongue speakers, and those who support the miracles of God.  He went so far as to say miracles do not happen today, but I really want to ask what is the point of praying to an impotent God who cannot help you out when you have reached the end of yourself?  I mean the guy was against healing, but if memory serves me right Jesus asked which is easier to say “Your sins are forgiven you, go and sin no more or Get up and walk”  In my humble estimation salvation is the greatest miracle there is and Jesus called it a miracle, so if God is not working miracles today then is he still saving?  Equally wrong is a certain Pentacostal I saw on TBN who said if you do not speak in tongues you are not born again.  Really?  I know several Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, and others who are upstanding believers who have more spiritual maturity and faith than those who speak in tongues.

Then there is the schism of Calvinism v. Arminenism and really both sides teach you must be born again.  Both say without Christ there is no salvation.  The petty schism between these two is unjustified.

Bottom line the church needs to leave its comfort zone, reconcile with their brothers in Christ who have slightly different doctrine than them, stop fighting each other, and open their eyes and see that all Christians worship the same Jesus, call the same God ABBA, and read the same bible.