Merlin's Mustache

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom…. All the things you desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are those who retain her. (Prov. 3:13-18)

Scripture shows that God’s wisdom to our lives results in fruitful living, productivity, success, a long life peace of mind, and honor. A tree is something others partake of. According to this scripture, if we follow the way of life (wisdom), we become a tree of life – a source of nourishment to those who partake of what we produce. Conversely, if live by the wisdom of man, we will become a detrimental tree, and those who partake of what we produce will gravitate toward toil, stress, insufficiency, sickness, selfishness, and other byproducts of spiritual death.

Returning to Proverbs 14:12. We read, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” When we examine the first part of this verse, we know it can easily apply to anyone, Christian and nonbeliever alike. There is a way that seems right – it seems good, wise, beneficial, strategic, acceptable, profitable, and so forth. Yet the warning is clear: what seems good may actually bee detrimental, harmful, and nonproductive – the way of death.

The author of Hebrews writes this sobering exhortation to believers: …We have much to say…. Since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food…. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:11-12, 14).

It is clear that discernment is a key factor in determining what is truly good and what is truly evil. In other words, what’s truly good is not always clear to our natural thinking, reasoning, or senses.

You may ask, “Didn’t the author of Hebrews say that our senses can be trained to tell the difference?” He did, but what senses was he referring to? You’ll notice at the beginning of these verses, the author said he was writing to these Christians whose hearing had grown dull. What hearing was he referring to? Did all the Hebrew believers need hearing aids? Hardly. He was referencing the ability to hear in our hearts. Jesus constantly taught, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matt. 11:15). Virtually all those who received this teaching had physical ears, yet not all of them had a discerning heart to hear the Word of God, which was best for their lives.

One of Jesus’s main team member, Peter, spoke of protection and long life to Jesus. It seemed certain that he was giving his Boss good counsel. Yet Jesus reprimanded him sharply by stating his interests were clearly not God’s (see Matt. 16:21-23). This is only one of many scriptural examples I could give illustrating how good and evil are not openly evident.

Solomon prayed, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can … know the difference between right and wrong. (I Kings 3:9 NLT). It takes an enlightened heart, one that is trained, to identify what God calls good and evil. Eve was perfect in every way, and in the garden where she resided the presence of God was powerful and strong. However, what she discerned to be good, pleasant, and profitable was actually evil and detrimental for her life. She was deceived and suffered because of it.

And thus, we are brought to the purpose of this book: To illuminate, through the Scriptures and the help of the Holy Spirit, the difference between what is good for your life and what ultimately will be detrimental. If Eve, who was perfect and living in a flawless environment, could still be deceived, how much easier is it for those of us with imperfect minds and living in a corrupted world – a skewed society –  to be deceived into judging what is damaging to be good?

Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough? John Bevere pages 10-12.

In these times the terms good and God are seemingly synonymous . We believe that what is generally accepted as good must be aligned with God’s will. Generosity, humility, and justice are good. Selfishness, arrogance and cruelty are evil. The distinction seems pretty forward. But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does Hebrews 5:14 teach that we must have discernment to recognize it?

The apostle Paul writes, “ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Roman12:2). We cannot discern what is truly good for our lives without first having our minds renewed. Without the transformation that comes through the renewing of our minds, we miss out on the amazing, God – infused life available to us in Christ.

Before the foundation of the world, God designed a plan for your life, one that is overflowing with fulfilled purpose, immense joy, and great satisfaction. His will and plan for you are perfectly and completely good. But there is a counterfeit good that can keep you from embracing God’s best.

Sadly, many of us have settled for the knockoff. We’ve unknowingly (and at times knowingly) rejected God in pursuit of what’s apparently good.

The early church leaders repeatedly warned us about this deception. To be so deceived is to believe we’re aligned with the truth, when in actuality, we’re not. (OUCH, Careful now!) Jesus Himself warned that deception would be so cleverly concealed in our time the elect could fall prey to it. Can we treat these warnings lightly? Can we brush them off, assuming we are above deception and instinctively discern good from evil?    

The good news is that God is not trying to hide His best from us. He’s not in the business of pulling the shades over our eyes. He promises that those who seek will find. If we commit to the journey of seeking truth, we will not be duped by its counterfeit. The question is, will we look to the Source of truth, or will we settle for a superficial knowledge of God and His good will? My hope is that in reading this book, we will solidify our resolve never to settle for less than God’s best.

May we pray before we begin:

Father, in Jesus’s name, open my eyes, ears, and heart to see, hear, and perceive You will for my life. Holy Spirit, teach me, deeply and profoundly, the ways of Jesus Christ as I read this message. I look to You as my Teacher. May You speak to me from every sentence of this book. May my life be changed forever. Amen.

John Bevere, author of “Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough!”                                                 

Prayer Changes Everything… Two True Accounts Offering Eternal Perspectives….

When George McCluskey married and started a family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his kids to follow Christ. After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. Every day between 11:00 AM and noon, he prayed for the next three generations.

As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives to Christ and married men who went into full time ministry. The two couples produced four girls and one boy. Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a pastor.

The first two children born to this generation were both boys. Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the same college and became roommates. During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the ministry. The other didn’t. He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family legacy, but he chose instead to pursue his interest in psychology.

He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents that became bestsellers. He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand stations each day. The man’s name – James Dobson.

Talk about the power of prayer! The next time you’re blessed by Focus on the Family or one of Dobson’s books, thank God for a generational watchman, George McCluskey.

Many kids are not as blessed with praying fathers.

At a 1994 Promise Keepers’ Conference in Denton Texas, Pastor James Ryle told his story:

When he was two years old, his father was sent to prison. When he was seven, authorities placed him in an orphanage. At 19, he had a car wreck that killed a friend. He sold drugs to raise money for his legal fee, and the law caught up to him. He was arrested, charged with a felony and sent to prison.

While in prison James accepted Christ, and after he served his time, he eventually went into the ministry. Years later he sought out his father to reconcile with him. When they got together, the conversation turned to prison life.

James’s father asked, “Which prison were you in?”

James told him, and his father was taken back. “I helped build that prison,” he said. He had been a welder who went from place to place building penitentiaries.

Pastor Ryle concluded, “I was in the prison my father built.”

Indeed! In more ways than one. These are amazing stories, powerfully contrasting two possibilities. We can either build prisons for our children or through prayer build fruitful lives that bless others.

Watchman Prayer: How to Stand Guard and Protect Your Family, Home and Community by Dutch Sheets, pages 105-107.

Utmost For His Highest November 20

Perhaps we need to be to be reminded in our lethargy just how perverse our culture’s lackadaisical view of the fatherhood of God has become: That God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. Perhaps this notion is similar to the erroneous concept developed in a recent post, The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus.

The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other grounds is unconscious blasphemy.  The only foundation on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way. Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony of Calvary. Although we must take the forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit by simple faith, we must never forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.

Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive. He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross, possible only in the supernatural realm.

Compared with the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is actually, quite small, being simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the transcending realization that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being, is that God has forgiven all our Sin. Apostle Paul never escaped from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise as was Paul, both constrained and empowered, by the love of God!

No doubt by now since I have rapidly highlighted three Utmost devotionals centering on aspects of forgiveness, some of my readers may well be questioning my theology. I simply did so because my decades of misunderstanding and under appreciating both the simplicity and complexities of forgiveness have cost me and my family dearly. I have faith that if I at least point you in the right direction, that God in his love, grace & mercy, will provide you the needed wisdom from his vast storehouses to spare you the years of wandering in wildernesses as did I. Have you ever used a vise on a work bench to secure an object? How about a simple Vise-Grip? If so, you can better comprehend Paul’s “being gripped.”

Paul said that he was so gripped by the love of God that people could perceive him as mad or sane – he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for – to persuade people of the coming judgement of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power on the messages’ recipients, drawing minimal attention to the messenger’s personal holiness. “…. And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” II Cor. 5:15

Perhaps it was no accident that my business card highlights the verse from I Peter 2:9 “That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I am simply telling my story as we Christ Follower’s are encouraged to do. Blessings as you GO FORTH Today in HIS LIGHT even though the world calls it Black Friday! Again, it is all a matter of His PERSPECTIVE! >>>>>merlin

Utmost For His Highest November 19

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know better only the experience of being disturbed by our sin, because we do know we have done some really bad things. But the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit uniquely blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one – “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of their sin to this magnitude, they know with every bit of their conscience that God does forgive all sin, and that it cost Him the breaking of His heart with grief to witness the death of Jesus Christ ultimately enabling Him to complete his mission, total and complete forgiveness!

The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ that enables the divine nature to forgive and remain true to its itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary – nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and am made ready for heaven. No one would accept forgiveness on that level, such as possessing the necessary ticket. Rather, forgiveness means that I am also empowered and transformed into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the very nature of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps this is a good time to give you some personal history. I was introduced the first time to Oswald Chambers classic devotional Utmost For His Highest by Dr. Jim Miller in early ’97 during our congregation’s LIFE (Living In Faithful Evangelism) process as he gave each member a copy. Next to our Bibles, it has been our daily inspiration for Loretta and I more than any other one book. Frequently during the events of our days, we refer to that morning’s reading amazed at the appropriateness of its comments, or even after being through it repeatedly over the years, the wonder and the freshness of that day’s reading. And even when a reading is recognized, and the supporting events for its processing recalled from prior years, I find a freshness and even a new interpretation forthcoming to add yet another dimension in our Utmost legacy arsenal.

I invite you to consider reading Utmost during 2022 whether from a printed copy or subscribe online. Enhance your legacy arsenal! Blessings as you go forth on this 2021 Thanksgiving Day>>>>> merlin

“If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” John 8:36

If there is even a trace of individual conceit left in us, it always says, “I can’t surrender,” or  “I can’t be free.” But the spiritual side of our being never says “I can’t”; it simply soaks up and absorbs everything around it. Our spirit or personality hungers for more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin, our own individuality, and wrong thinking keep us from getting to Him. God delivers us from sin. However we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality. This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so that He may transform it into a spiritual life by our simple obedience.

God pays no attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His order runs right across our natural life. We must see to it that we aid and assist God, and not stand against Him by saying “I can’t do that.” God will not discipline us; we must discipline ourselves. God will not bring our “arguments … and every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:5) – we have to do it. Don’t say “Oh Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts.” Don’t suffer from wandering thoughts! Stop listening to the tyranny of your individual natural life and win freedom into your amazing spiritual life.

“If the Son makes you free… Do not substitute Savior for Son in this passage. The Savior has set us free from sin, and this is the freedom that comes from being set free from myself by the Son. It is what Paul meant in Gal. 2:20 when he said “I have been crucified with Christ … His individuality had been broken and his spirit had been united with his Lord; not just merged into Him, but united and made one with Him..  “… You shall be free indeed” – free to the very core of your being; free from the inside to the outside. We tend to rely on our own energy, instead of being energized by the power that comes from identification with Jesus.

This 11/18 Utmost post and the next two Utmost devotionals, also to be posts, from November 19 & 20 are a continuation of the theme, “Winning into Freedom” that actually for me began with the recent post, The Legend of the Social Gospel Jesus. For decades I had quietly struggled before I experienced an intimate relationship with the Son and last evening when I read the final paragraphs in The Serving Leader book by John Stahl-Wert, the dilemma of my former decades was succinctly revealed to me in three points and I’m compelled to share the page with you now through Mike’s eyes.

In the car, I asked Dad one remaining question. Given my own track record, was I fit to be a Serving Leader? He knew exactly what I needed to hear.

“We’ve all made mistakes and wasted lots of time and talent, Mike,” he said, reaching over to lay his hand on my arm.

“But mistakes aren’t the issue here. What we do with them though, is the issue.”

I nodded.

“We’re all faced with three choices in life,” he continued. “First, we can pretend that everything’s always been just fine. If we make this choice, we have to spend all our time putting on a front for people, acting like we have it all together, and making up excuses for our meaningless lives.”

Dad let the point hang in the air. I was thinking back to the years when I had finally quit attending church, mainly to lessen the pain of my hypocrisy.

“We become smaller people when we do this, Mike. We’re justified in our own minds but useless to anyone else.”

Secondly, and just as bad, we can destroy ourselves in lament and self-recrimination. Since we’ve wasted so much of our lives, we figure it’s too late to get back on track now, thinking we don’t really deserve another opportunity and so we slide into a perpetual spiritual oblivion.

This description, actually fit my condition better better than the first one, I realized. Dad had just cut to the quick of my fundamental struggle.

“Again, this is wrong, and just makes us small. What good can a groveling, self-whipped soul be to anyone else?” he asked, the question needing no answer.

“And the third one, Dad?” I asked trying to hide how desperately I needed to hear a better option.

Dad squeezed my arm. “Ask to be forgiven for the past, Mike. And then seize your future with all you’ve got. Join the team! Live empowered!”

It wasn’t clear to me if he was just giving me his third point or if he was giving me a command. I liked it either way. I was ready.

Go Forth gratefully renewed >>>>> merlin

The Bible contains the mind of God,

the state of man,

the way of salvation,

the doom of sinners,

and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy,

Its precepts are binding,

Its histories are true,

and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise,

Believe it to be safe,

And practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you,

Food to support you,

And comfort to cheer you.

It’s the traveler’s map,

the pilgrim’s staff,

the pilot’s compass,

the soldier’s sword,

and the Christian’s charter.

Here Paradise is restored,

Heaven opened,

And the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject,

Our good the design,

And the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory,

rule the heart,

and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

It is a mine of wealth,

A paradise of glory,

And a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life,

Will be opened at judgement,

and be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility,

Will reward the greatest labor,

And will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

Merely 184 words but worthy of being memorized or read frequently! Consider the perspective of your life at this moment. Is dispensing love to all you meet your dominant theme? Unsure? Perhaps you need to read the above document again. Perhaps you could gain key insights were you to decide to to read scripture daily. Perhaps you are being prompted to join the 2022 FOR LIFE (Living In Faithful Evangelism) movement to read your One Year Bible daily for the rest of your life. Relax! It’s actually not that radical! According to God’s clock, none of us have that much more time left on this planet anyway. Ever figure out how many more Sundays you may have left?

Ken Hawkins of Really Recovered spoke this morning at KMC of his extreme hunger for scripture when he first met Jesus. Even if you were there, I suggest you go to the Kidron Mennonite Church website and listen to his words of encouragement again regardless if you have known Jesus for 7 years as Ken, or as some, for 65 years. A few of his quips: I Cor. 4:20 “For the kingdom of God is not in WORD, but in POWER.” When we experience God’s healing presence, the “before” picture brings value and credibility to whatever the “restoration.” “Do you think God saved (restored) you for you? This is FOR you but not ABOUT you!!”Daily prayer and Bible reading is not an option for the perilous times ahead.

The Stream is doing an outstanding review of vitally strategic misunderstood subjects for Christ Followers that I tend to believe are not sufficiently center stage to effect any meaningful dialogue. My last post, also verbatim from The Stream, What Does the Bible Actually Say about Socialism vs. Capitalism is another such example. Even the seminaries have been infiltrated by these erroneous ideologies undermining the tenants and expressions of our faith and existence.

This time Greg Koukl’s The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus will be in the cross hairs. Though seldom does one engage social justice Jesus proponents in meaningful substantive dialogue, (which is exactly why I’ve dedicated 3900 words to succinctly dissecting the Legend separating fact from fiction) you soon notice eyes glaze and transitions are offered to avoid such confrontation. I do believe this Legend is also alive and flourishing in anabaptist circles and in direct conflict with any efforts we may put forth for congregational renewal/revitalization/revival, etc. This Legend is a devastating encroaching plague in the Kingdom that will far surpass the effects of either covid or the globalists agenda; simply, because it is already within the Body and accepted as gospel. And to think, it began as a mere  legend. God help us. Contact me if you desire a word doc of this Greg Koukl article.

I want to tell you a story of an ancient sage who changed the world.

This wise man fought for justice, championing the cause of the poor, and the oppressed. He rejected organized religion, showing tolerance – not judgement – for the outcast and the socially marginalized. He promoted universal love and the brotherhood of man. His unflinching commitment to speak truth to power cost him his life, but his legacy lives on. He is a model for us today of love, acceptance, and inclusion. His name is Jesus of Nazareth.

That is the story, in sum. It’s a noble tale, to be sure. But it’s a falsehood, a fiction, an urban legend. Though the story is parroted like a mantra by multitudes – even echoed reflexively by otherwise sound spiritual leaders who ought to know better – no such Jesus ever existed. Rather, taken as a whole, this version of Jesus is just another example of another Jesus bringing another gospel like the ones the apostle Paul anathematized to the Galatians. [1]

A Myriad of Myths

This is not the first legend of Jesus, of course. Paul chastised the Corinthians – somewhat sarcastically – for their own cavalier embrace of teachers fabricating a false spirit bringing a false gospel.

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. (II Cor. 11:4).

The Corinthians were being led astray by the serpent’s crafty deceptions, Paul said, just as Eve was (v. 3) – abandoning simple devotion to the genuine Jesus for an alluring invention, an alternate Christ.

The trend would continue in the future. Paul warned, with the church turning their ticklish ears from truth to myths – legends – choosing man – made fictions over doctrinal facts (II Tim. 4:3-4). Jesus himself warned of future interloper, imposters masquerading as imposters as messiahs who would mislead many )Matt. 24:24).

Times have changed, but the trend has not. New “Jesus legends” abound: the legend of Jesus, the (mere) itinerant moral teacher; the legend of Jesus, the prophet of Allah; the socialist Jesus legend; the legend of the Gnostic Jesus of the Gospel of Thomas; the legend of Jesus, the universal Christ; the LDS legend of Jesus, the spirit brother of Lucifer; the New Age Jesus-the Hindu-guru legend. Et cetera, Et cetera.

The remaking of the Jewish Messiah from Nazareth into a progressive advocate of social justice is just the latest example of the tendency people have to fashion Christ into their own social /spiritual/political image.

Of course, in one sense that shouldn’t surprise us. Most folks have a genuine respect for Jesus – as they should. It’s understandable, then, that on weighty matters they’d want Jesus on their side.

Here the tail wags the dog, though. The point is not for any of us to get Jesus on our side, but for us to get on Jesus’ side – hands to the plow, not looking back, fit for the kingdom. [2]

What precisely is “Jesus’ side,” though? Given the mishmash of myths, how do we separate the wheat from the chaff, fact from fiction, legend from history? We cannot follow Jesus if we do not have a clear idea of who the real flesh and blood Jesus of history was and which direction he was heading. But how do we know with any confidence?

Searching for Jesus

 There is a reliable, uncomplicated method I employ to get an accurate, balanced, big-picture take on any topic in any section of scripture, and it’s perfectly suited for the task.

Say for example, I want to know everything about how God supernaturally guided the early church, or what Proverbs teaches on leadership, or what the New Testament instructs on prayer, or how the disciples of Jesus preached the gospel in the book of Acts, etc.[3] I simply read every word of the biblical material I’m interested in, isolate every passage that’s germane to my topic, then collate the passages in an orderly way to create a thorough, complete, precise portrayal of the topic. It’s a simple – though a labor-intensive- technique anyone can use to get the full counsel of any section of Scripture on any topic.

This approach may be problematic for some, though – particularly the more progressive types who favor the social justice Jesus version. They simply do not trust the record. For many of them, Scripture is not authoritative account of what God revealed to man, but simply one version of what certain ancient people believed about God. The Gospels are humanly “inspired,” not divinely inspired – man-made, not God – breathed.

No matter. That distinction makes absolutely no to my assessment. Here’s why. Nothing about my case has anything to do with whether or not the Bible is divinely inspired. Though that is my view, it’s a separate issue for now.

Here’s the real issue. We have one body of detailed information about Jesus; the canonical Gospels. We can accept them as divinely inspired or not. We can accept them (as many scholars do) as non-inspired human documents that are, on the main, historically accurate. We can even accept them as error-ridden musings by primitive people about God and Jesus. What we cannot do, though, is reject the Gospel accounts out of hand and then advance our own personal opinion of the Jesus of the Gospels, since there will be no Jesus left to have a personal opinion about.   

 Reject the record, and you forfeit your opinion of the man of the record. It’s that simple. Of course, if you cherry-pick verses to fashion a Jesus in your own image, then I have nothing to offer you. If that’s your project, you are welcome to your fantasy, but do not mistake the views of your-make-me-up Christ for the views of Jesus of Nazareth. That legend will reflect your opinions, not his.

Jesus and “Social Justice”

One question here is simple: What did Jesus come to do? Preach a socialistic redistribution of wealth? Introduce new Age Hinduism to Torah-observant Jews? Prophesy for Allah? Teach us how to attain personal godhood or accomplish Christ consciousness? Advocate for the poor, the marginal, and the disenfranchised in a campaign for social justice? Let’s see.

To separate the real Jesus from the legendary christs of any sort, I simply employ my system. I carefully read every line of every gospel and located every line of every Gospel and isolated every passage that spoke of Jesus’ purpose – references either from Jesus himself, from clues in the birth narratives, or from Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist. I also isolated every reference to the poor.

My search regarding the poor revealed something surprising, considering the breadth of the record. It turns out that Jesus almost never spoke of the poor. He made only ten specific references to the “poor” of different sorts, [4] not counting parallel passages. Even this small number overstates the issue because of an interesting pattern my search revealed, one I have noted elsewhere:[5]

   In the vast majority of cases where Jesus mentions the poor, he does so not to commend the poor as such, but to make a point about something else – hypocrisy, a widow’s generosity, Zacchaeus’s repentance, the rich young ruler’s confusion, or a lesson about the afterlife.[6]

Jesus did care about the financially destitute, of course, and enjoined charity and compassion for them through kindness and voluntary giving to the disadvantaged (Lk. 12:33, 14: 13-14), a point John the Baptist emphasized as well (Lk. 3:11). Campaigning for the poor , however, was not part of his project.

In one case, Jesus actually was dismissive of the poor when compared to something else that was his greater concern. “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me”(Matt. 26:11. cf. Mk. 14:5-9, Jn. 12:8).[7]

What was it about Jesus himself that defined his mission in a way that completely eclipsed a legitimate and appropriate concern for the financially destitute? Jesus’ remaining references to the poor answer that question.

In only two instances did Jesus identify anything about his mission with those people he considered “poor.” When preaching on the Sabbath at the synagogue in Nazareth he said:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. (Lk. 4:18-19)

When John the Baptist sent word from prison questioning in his dark moments whether or not Jesus was indeed “the Expected One,” Jesus responded to his doubts by reporting the fulfillment of his earlier claim:

Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have gospel preached to them. (Matt. 11:4-5, cf. Lk 7:22

Note two important things about the poor and oppressed from these passages. First, it is clear in both references that foundational to Jesus ministry of mercy – giving sight to the blind, healing the lame, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead – preaching the gospel to the “poor.”

Second, Jesus’ sermon on that Sabbath in Nazareth is the only place he makes mention of concern for the “oppressed.” Peter, however, gives us the insight into the kind of oppression Jesus had in mind:

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him the Holy Spirit and with power, and how went about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil;, for God was with him….  Of him all the prophets bear witness that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. (Acts 10:38, 43)

Taken together, these passages about the poor paint a clear picture of Jesus’ intent. The poor were to receive the gospel, have their sins forgiven, and be released from the devil’s power – that last point underscored by Jesus’ consistent practice of freeing people from demon possession.  

What kind of “poor” would receive this gospel message of forgiveness and thus be freed from the oppression of the devil? Not the proud, pharisaical self-righteous, but rather those who understand their spiritual poverty – which is precisely the point Jesus makes in his sole remaining reference to the poor: ”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matt. 5:3, cf. Lk. 6:20).

Clearly, contending for the financially destitute as such was not his concern, not was campaigning on behalf of the marginalized, the disenfranchised, or the socially oppressed.

Jesus’ central concern was bringing forth a kingdom in a way that secured liberty for the captives[8] through forgiveness of sin – a fact that everyone of my remaining Gospel passages about Jesus’ mission makes manifestly clear.

On this point, I will simply let the record speak for itself.

In the Beginning

From the outset, the Gospels paint a clear picture of Christ’s purpose.  The earliest reference comes from the prophet Micah:

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Matt. 2:6, cf. Micah 5:2)

Zacharias weighs in next with the prophecies at the birth of his son, John the Baptist:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go on before the lord to prepare his ways; to give to his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Lk 1:76-79)

At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid, since she had found favor with God and would be given a matchless gift:

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,  and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end. Lk.1:31-33)

Joseph, grieved and alarmed by the strange turn of events he faced, received counsel from an angel of the Lord in a dream. The angel said:

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:20-21)

At Jesus’ birth, an angel appeared suddenly before shepherds in the field, saying, “Do not be afraid for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a savior, who is Christ the Lord” (LK. 2:1-11)

When Mary and Joseph brought their infant Jesus to the temple soon after his birth, they encountered a righteous and devout man named Simeon and a prophetess named Anna who served continuously in the temple with fastings and prayers.

When Simeon took the infant Jesus into his arms, he said, “Now Lord, you are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:26, 28-30).

Anna spoke next: At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk. 2:38).

At the outset of Jesus ministry, the forerunner John the Baptist fulfills his father’s prophecy by giving “the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.“ He points to Jesus and says: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin pf the world” (Jn. 1: 29). He also says that this this Jesus would baptize with the Spirit and with fire, with salvation or with judgement. (Matt,3:10-12).

In these initial Gospel passages, a precise profile emerges.

A savior named Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, the Son of the Most High God, will be born in Bethlehem to shepherd Israel. As the sacrificial Lamb of God, he will bring salvation and redemption through the forgiveness of sins, baptizing some with the Holy Spirit and others with the fire of judgement. He will be given the throne of his father David and rule over an everlasting kingdom.

Something seems to be missing here, though. There is nothing in these descriptions of Jesus by any of the various forerunners that suggests a  single element of the social justice Jesus described earlier. As it turns out, there is nothing like that in Jesus’ own claims about himself, either.

Jesus on Jesus

Jesus had much to say about his own mission. He said he came to preach the good news of the kingdom of God (Lk. 4:43). He made clear, though, that his kingdom was not of this world (Jn. 18: 36), at least initially. It was not a physical kingdom bringing social justice, wealth redistribution, or political and cultural equity. Rather, it was a spiritual kingdom bringing forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Listen:

Luke 19:10 – The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

John 3:17 – For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through him[9] (cf. Lk. 9:56).

Luke 5:32 – I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance  (cf. Mk. 2:17, Matt 9: 12-13).

Matthew 20:26 – The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve. And to give his life a ransom for many. (cf. Mk. 10:45)

John 6:38-39 – For I have come down from heaven , not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me I lose nothing, but raise it up the last day.  

For Jesus, salvation was not economic prosperity, equal distribution goods, or sexual liberty without judgement or shame. Instead, salvation came through belief in him, bringing forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

John 3: 16-17 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Sin into the world to  judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  

John 3: 36 – He who believes in the Son has eternal life ; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Matthew 9:6 – “But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home” (cf. Mk 2:10-11).

Luke 5:20 – Seeing their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

Luke 7:47-48 – “ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much, but he who is forgiven little, loves little,” Then he said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

Jesus knew what in order to accomplish this mission, he must suffer, die, and be raised again, just as Moses and the prophets had foretold.

Luke 12:51 – Do you suppose I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.

Matthew 16: 21 – From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and raised up on the third day.

John 12:27 – Now my soul has become troubled,; and what shall I say, “Father, save me from this hour”? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Matthew 26:28 – For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins (cf. Mk 14:24, Lk. 22:20).

Luke 24: 44-47 – Now he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about me in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled…. Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nation, beginning from Jerusalem”(cf. Lk 24:25-27).

There you have it – the complete record of Jesus’ own statements about his purpose and mission. Once again, something is missing – any evidence of any kind that Jesus saw himself as an advocate for social justice. It’s not there. Not a word.

To be clear, there is no question that God in Scripture has a heart for the genuinely oppressed and destitute, and Jesus as God shared that concern as did his church.[10] When Jesus encountered deep human need, he responded with compassionate action – characteristically healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, and in two instances, physically feeding multitudes.[11] Even so, Jesus principal purpose was redressing spiritual poverty, not rectifying social inequities.

“Who Do You Say That I Am?”

Reading through that plethora of Bible passages may have been a bit taxing for you, but there’s a point here.

Near the end of Jesus life, he asked his disciples the most important question anyone can consider: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). The answer any person gives to that question seals his fate with eternity. We dare not be mistaken on this issue.

What I have tried to do here is to put Jesus in his proper place for those who have become confused by the culturally noisy rhetoric. I have done this by letting the record  – the entire record – speak for itself!

Though I isolated every verse in the Gospels identifying Jesus’ purpose, I could not find a single sentence where Jesus championed the cause of the poor, the outsider, of the disenfranchised as such. There is not even a hint of it – in the sense that it’s commonly understood – in the entire historical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Did Jesus care about the poor, the downtrodden, and the marginalized? Yes. He also cared about the rich, the powerful, and the socially advantaged. Jesus cared about everyone, and he helped everyone who came to him – poor beggar or prostitute, wealthy tax collector or Pharisee.

The right answer to Jesus’ question is Jesus’ own answer, one that fits hand in glove with the message of each of his forerunners. He is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, the Lamb of God, the living sacrifice who secures forgiveness of sins and eternal life for anyone who bends his knee and beats his breast in penitence before him.[12]

It is the right answer because no other Jesus saves souls – and that, as it turns out, is what he came to do. Any other Jesus – Jesus the mere moral teacher, Jesus the prophet of Allah, the socialist Jesus, the Gnostic Jesus, the universal Christ Jesus, the spirit brother of Lucifer Jesus, the Hindu guru Jesus, even the social justice Jesus – is a falsehood, a fiction, and indeed, an urban legend.  

[1] Galatians 1:8-9

[2] Luke 9:62

 [3]These are all studies I’ve done. Find “Divine Direction and Decision Making in the book of Acts,” “New testament Prayer,” and the “Preaching God’s Love in Acts?” at str.org.

 [4] Poor in spirit vs. poor financially, for example.

 [5] Gregory Koukl, The Story of Reality (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 114.

[6] Hypocrisy (Matt 6:2-3), a widow’s generosity (Lk.21:1-4), Zaccheus’s repentance (Lk. 19:8), the rich young ruler’s confusion (Matt. 19:21, Mk. 19:17-27), a lesson about the afterlife (Lk 16:20, 22).

[7] Note, by the way, that Deut. 15:7-8, 11 – the passage Jesus may be alluding to here – does enjoin God’s people to care about the poor. In the context, though, this was not Jesus point.       

[8] That Jesus probably had spiritual captives in mind here is clear from his short discourse on freedom and slavery in John 8:31-36.

[9] Judgment would come, as John promised, but later, at the end (Matt.25:31-46; cf. Jn. 9:39).

[10] The New Testament Christian community readily responded to poverty – not as an expression of justice, however, but as voluntarily demonstration of charity (love) and mercy (cf. Acts 11:29, 24:17; Roma.15:26; Gal. 2:10; I Cor 6:1-4).

[11] Notice, though, that Jesus’ largess in feeding the masses became a distraction for them. He had to rebuke them for continuing to seek physical bread from him instead of hungering for Jesus himself, the bread of life (Jn. 6:26 ff.).

[12] Luke 18:9-14.

By Nolan Lewallen Oct 26, 2021

The very last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said that “Jesus was the first socialist.” I wonder if Stalin murdering some 20 million people was on Gorbachev’s “WWJD” list. In 2016, Vladimir Putin said in a speech in Stavropol, Russia, “the Moral Code of the Builder of Communism resembles the Bible a lot.” Hmm. Maybe Psalm 14:1 (if you exclude the first part about a fool): “There is no God.”

But even some evangelical Christians try to squeeze socialism from the Bible. They cite Acts 4:32-35:

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had… There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

In the very next chapter (Acts 5:1-9), there’s even an account of Ananias and Sapphira falling dead because they held back some of the money from the sale of their land. Maybe this is another verse Putin was referencing; it’s probably on his refrigerator.

Were the Romans Forcing Christians to Share Their Wealth?  

Let’s take a closer look. First of all, there’s a huge distinction in that these believers in Jerusalem were doing this of their own free will. The government was not forcing them to do it. It says they brought the money to the apostles, not to the government ( verse 4:35) There was a great famine in Jerusalem and all of Judea at the time, as prophesied by Agabus in Antioch (Acts 11:27-29). Because of this famine, many Gentile believers were sending money to the believers in Jerusalem (Rom. 15:26, I Cor.16: 1-3, II Cor. 9:1).

But the key is found in verse 5:4. Peter told Ananias, “The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished, and after selling it, the money was also yours to give away.” Clearly, the offerings of the church in Jerusalem were free-will offerings and not as the result of a mandate. The guilty couple fell dead for lying about it to the Holy Spirit (verse3).

The Goodness of Your Heart, or the Bayonets of the State.

Another verse socialists like to use is Luke 3:11. While preaching by the Jordan River, John the Baptist said, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Again, John was compelling those who had plenty to help people in need out of the goodness of their hearts, not as a requirement from the government.

And finally, socialists like to pull that “compassion card” with I John 3:17. This verse asks, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion – how can God’s love be in that person?” But a socialist government is not compassionate; it not only limits the amount its citizens can make, but also robs them of their God – given ability to be innovative. On June 19, 2018 the U.S. Patent Office issued its ten millionth patent. What’s the latest innovative gadget benefiting your life that came from Cuba or Venezuela?

God Doesn’t Reward Slackers. Why Should We?

In the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-29 and Luke 19: 12-28), the business owner is clearly a representation of God himself, so this is a pretty good picture of how God’s economy works. Notice in verse 15 that the man gave three different amounts to three different servants, “to each according to his own ability.” This is the very antithesis of socialism (“from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”).

Evidently, the business owner’s perception of their abilities were pretty accurate. The two who were given the most (five and two talents respectively) doubled their investments. By the way, this king of profit would likely create a fourth and a fifth employee and generate greater pay for all.

God Didn’t make A World Where Socialism Works

What if the owner had taken those same eight talents and divided them up equally (or 2.66 talents each)? And what if he told them they would be trusted with the same amount next time….. and the next…. And the next, regardless of their performance?

I guarantee you the productivity of even the two good employees would wane over time. Instead of fifteen talents, he would probably get little more than his original eight talents back. Why should the two productive employees outperform the unproductive employee, with no incentive? With capitalism, everyone races toward the top. Socialism sends everyone slacking toward the bottom.

God Is About Love, Not Politicized “Fairness”

In the parable of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom (Matt.25:1-9), we see a similar underlying theme that’s incongruent with socialism. Notice that five were wise, and five were foolish, not privileged and underprivileged. And if you continue reading, verses 10-11 reveal that the five wise virgins were rewarded (they got into the wedding feast), and the five foolish virgins were not rewarded (they were locked outside) . Socialists would cry, “Not fair!”

In John 12, we read the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with very expensive perfume. In verse 5, Judas said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Fair point, even if it did come from Judas. Jesus said (verse 7), “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” How many of our churches have taken this to heart?

In summary, it’s clear in the Scriptures that God never condoned a socialist type system. It has been contrived by well – intentioned but unrealistic people in the best cases, and by evil, power-hungry demagogues in the worst. God “wired” us to function best in a merit-based system. “He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit” (Prov. 27:18). And that gives us incentives to cultivate the gifts God has placed inside each of us. Moreover, when we cultivate and develop our gifts, they benefit the rest of society.

The Biden administration has abandoned wisdom here, as on so many other issues. It’s trying to buy support with other people’s money, and mortgaging our future. For more on this, see the new video from The Stream’s Jay Richards.

Nolan Lewallen is a retired pilot of a major airline and lives near Stephenville, TX, with his wife Kim. His new book, “The Integration of Church & State: How We Transform “In God We Trust” From Motto to Reality, brings the two together.

Published by The Stream at stream.org, Equipping Christ-Followers to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.

I selected this article to combat the socialism deception within the Anabaptist community. During the past several years, Christ-Followers (CF) now have access to relatively unrestricted websites such as The Stream, brighteon.com, marfoogle.news, rumble, zerohedge, the federalist, x22report.com, Epoch News, etc. disseminating “to the best of their ability” factual worthy news being ignored and boycotted by mainstream media.

Sadly, too many anabaptist CF’s are not even aware of the major deception being leveled against truth in their lives currently. May God grant us discerning spirits in the coming days. The prior blog espousing reading and application of scripture, a continual attitude of prayer, widespread  transparent communication amongst CF living in community, for such will be key to insure spiritual fervor/preparedness amongst our ranks, accentuating our faith and guiding us as the flock was admonished last Sunday by Carl in 1. Our charity, 2.) our choices, 3.) our courage, 4.) our convictions, 5.) our conflicts with evil, 6.) our conquests as dispatched, and 7.) our calling, and perhaps, even our conclusion.

Actually, if you’ve ever read Martyr’s Mirror, you know well the price many CF’s have paid for their spiritual freedom, since the Apostles, through the Reformation, the Enlightenment,  even up until today in such places as Haiti, Africa, India, now even Australia. May the Holy Spirit empower us with grace and mercy for even the eminent skirmishes before the major battles.

Blessings as we Prepare To Go Forth>>>>> merlin

The Bible contains the mind of God,

the state of man,

the way of salvation,

the doom of sinners,

and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy,

Its precepts are binding,

Its histories are true,

and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise,

Believe it to be safe,

And practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you,

Food to support you,

And comfort to cheer you.

It’s the traveler’s map,

the pilgrim’s staff,

the pilot’s compass,

the soldier’s sword,

and the Christian’s charter.

Here Paradise is restored,

Heaven opened,

And the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject,

Our good the design,

And the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory,

rule the heart,

and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

It is a mine of wealth,

A paradise of glory,

And a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life,

Will be opened at judgement,

and be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility,

Will reward the greatest labor,

And will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

 

Merely 198 words but worthy of being memorized or read frequently! Taken verbatim from a Gideon’s New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs placed in the reception area at the Raber Optometry & Dental in Kidron OH.

Consider the perspective of your life at this moment. Is dispensing love to all you meet your dominant theme? Read the above document again. Perhaps you need to decide today to read scripture daily. Perhaps you wish to join the 2022 FOR LIFE movement and read your One Year Bible daily for the rest of your life. Relax! It won’t be forever! You likely don’t have that much more time. How many more Sundays do you think you have left to enjoy your life anyway?

Perhaps you do need a new perspective? And such are free for the reading as suggested above…. Your choice!