Symptoms of disease

Usually, the first question a doctor asks when one visits for an affliction concerns the symptoms of the sickness. Hopefully, the symptoms will lead to the problem and from there a solution.

1. People don't like to come to church.
2. People are bored when they do come and need an "exciting" preacher to make it intesting.
3. People need a plethora of programs so that they might not have need of the outside world. (modern day monasteries)

There are two ways in which the modern Western church meets these symptoms:

1. The programs and fellowship time revolve around keeping everyone entertained. Knowledged might be shared, but its rarely new or particularly deep.

2. Keeping people invovled so that they feel the need to come back again and again.

Why do we need a plethora of programs and projects in our churches to keep people interested. Could the spawn of these be linked to basic apathy of what the original intent was? If we preach the gospel and it is unaccepted they why do we try to keep people unintesested involved.

Is this not a drain? Allowing people to come back of their own volition allows for the very basic necessity of free will and determined choice.

Here's the crux: by constantly calling, inviting, and befriending we violate the very scripture itself when we re-witness to people who have already heard the gospel. It is because we are doing the choosing and not allowing God to make the call.

"Ye have not chosen Me, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU…" (John 15:16)

Over and over again, the Bible tells that we can't choose ourselves. How then can another choose us?

To Grow A Church

I used to go to one of the best churches I've ever known. What happened to change that?

Modern churches are focused on one thing; to grow the church. In order to grow the church you must enact certain rules and behaviors to keep it running. Now, this is where modern churches begin to lose focus. All events become centered at the facility and all programs are organized to support the facility.

"by all means that we might save some"

What's the best way to keep young people involved?

The modern church answers this by getting them involved in anything and everything from music to games to events.

Well, in order to accommodate all that is needed takes a lot of money. It is natural then that we find most modern churches drowned in debt. I understand that the Bible has something to say about usury and the like, but never mind that.

Praying before service my pastor mentioned that we "needed" about 6 more classrooms and that it would take about $100,000. This on top of all the money we've already spent on fixing up the place.

We'd all like chandeliers of gold, toilet paper of silk, and pews equipped with back message equipment, but its just not going to happen. Not while I'm doing the spending anyway. Sure, give it to God they say, but aren't I responsible and accountable for what and where I give. Can I give a homeless pimp money knowing that he's going to use it for cab fare to beat his b*tches? No, that would be irresponsible.

So no, we do not need to spend 100 grand on new classrooms. We need to pay off what we have and make due with it. Its not about the facilities and money. Else, in poor times not built up by the easy credit Americans have been bred to love, then no one would be saved.

For example, anyone can get beautiful women by flashing 100 dolla' bills around, but once the monies are gone so are they. Better to attract people with character, then a bunch of hoes searching for the latest taste of excitement.

The Holy Fathers of Today

"In the early 1500’s a Catholic monk named Martin Luther tried to live a life holy enough to be accepted by God. Unlike most Christians of that time period, he could read the Bible. The Bible was off limits to the common people. Most Christians could not read, but even if they did, the Church forbid them from reading the Bible. Church leaders at that time (like many church leaders today) did not think the average Christian was capable of understanding it – they felt Christians needed priests to explain to them what God demands of them. Actually many Christian do not believe they can really understand the bible on their own. They attend churches who have trained ministers who tell them what the Bible really means. Things haven’t changed as much as we would like to think."


Gary Amirault

Every Christian starts at a place where they don't know much and must rely on the knowledge and learning of others. However, to remain at that place is spiritual death.

Sumaji

One particular thing among many has bothered about the birth of Jesus, the mysterious appearance of the magi. I mean, what the heck?!

Until now I had no idea what to think. Out of no where these magician/astrologer types show up and start worshipping a Godly incarnation which they had foretold. I was assured along the way by pastors and preachers alike that the Jews had the keys only. Everyone else was just dead wrong.

Well, I did a little digging and it turns out that the magi were thought to be last remnants of a created caste of Sumerians desperate to preserve their identity. This makes sense, since much of the Genesis account resembles that of the preceding Sumerian accounts of creation. Abraham came out of Sumeria so we can assume that he, too, knew of these ancient beliefs.

So if the Sumerians were the forebearers of the faith can we not conclude that their prophecies are also correct and given that they got a relatively large prophecy correct, namely the birth of JC, then we can also assume that they SHOULD be correct.

So what did they have to say?

Here we find ourselves amoung the stargazers, searching the skies for the past to speak to us of the future and what do we find...2012 and a return to the cradle of cizilization: Babylon or what is now considered Iraq.

The slings and arrows are conspiring against us. Who then can we turn to, for if history can only reveal preordained events, then prevention is not possible. What good is foreknowledge if we lack the power to do anything about it?

Even it the future is ours to know, then it still remains out of our control. The question is: does ignorance or knowledge of events favor man?

De-Posit

I'm sure someone has thought of this before, but I'll give it a go...

For those that believe we are the epitome of evolution and that our origin is of the ape allow me to posit this. What if evolution is taking a break and that we are not evolved from apes, but instead apes have evolved from us courtesy of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics?

A slight detour to be sure. Never the less, we assume that evolution evolves species a linear trajectory ever upward, but what if we get little hiccups along the way. Some species remain stagnent, but cognizant enough to survive for a few millenia. Thus we have ugly ape roaming around reminding us what a slight variation for the worse can lead to.

If ever there was a case to be made for abortion and euthanasia I've made it, sadly...

Light Blowing Wind

I've heard from the beginning of my Christian education that Satan/Lucifer was good (some say perfect0, then went bad.

ORLY? What JC have to say about him?

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

"Murderer from the beginning"?

II Cor. 11:14

14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Great googly-moogly! Satan, an archangel of light himself, disguises himself as an angel of light. Why in the world would he need to make himself into something he already is?

The very definition of Satan, meaning "adversay", tells us exactly who he is and what he was created for; namely that he may "SIFT you as wheat" (Luke 22:31).

Paul reiterates:

"To deliver such an one UNTO SATAN for DESTRUCTION of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (I Cor. 5:4-5)"

We must be willing to believe that which we know isn't so in order to understand the truth.

A Will to Power Through

I'm a Suns fan, Steve Nash is the Free Market, and Mike Di'antoni is the Gold Standard. Which means that I know something deep inside my being, down to my living soul through the very door of synaptical pistons.

The NBA is rigged. Yes, I don't know that for a fact, but it's in my gut. Does that take away from the game? A little, yes, but I'll keep watching. That's because every now and then someone figures out how to win at the casino.

The powers that be couldn't stop the Suns from reaching the playoffs. However, once they reached the concrete domes of injustice they (the evil basketball aristocracy) could unleash the full power of the whistling zebra demons (the refs).

*Side note: all this basketball terminology can be confusing, but if you'll stick with me I think it will all become salient.*

The EBA(Evil Basketball Aristocracy) wanted the LA Lakers to advance because then they would have to play the LA Clippers, which would make for great ratings in a large city. The refs did everything they could to placate the EBA to the point of letting the Lakers pretty much have their way with the Suns. Even Steve Nash got angry at some of the calls, a rarity.

Alas, down 3 games it looked like the Suns could not recover from the foul injustice that was set upon them. However, it was not to be.

Mike Di'antoni knows something.

He knows that if his team can score more points than the other team, then the refs can't cheat them out of a win. This means you have beat your opponent by nearly 20 points a game.

If the game is close, then the refs can help the other team win within the last two mintues by calling fouls, jump balls, and other silly, nonsensical inanities, but if the lead is double digits then they can't control the game.

I'm sure the NBA would like to get rid of the rules that helped make the game more to the Suns gameplan, but Phoenix is just too popular.

Do you know how much you don't know?

MATTHEW 16
1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered them, [1] “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Here's the problem. We believe what the people we trust believe. They believe what the people they trust believed. How much they know and have learned on their own is not something we can know. So if we trust them for what we believe then we have no way of knowing if they are wrong.

Most people believe the rapture will take place before the 7 sevens years of tribulation because of a series of books called "Left Behind". How this helps them understand the actual Bible text is indeterminate.

The Pharisess and Sadducees knew exactly what they were supposed to believe and they missed the coming of the Messiah. It is no doubt that they were sure of what they knew. However, they didn't know what they didn't know.

It is apparent that the Pharisees and Sadducees thought they knew exactly what was coming to pass and so do the Christians of today. We believe that if one dies before coming to Christ that eterntal torment awaits even thought they claim their G-d is eternally mercifal. The Jews didn't think there was hope for the Gentiles and now the
Gentiles feel there is no hope for non-Christians.

Insulated as the Pharisees were to the outside world it's possible we might be overlooking the true power of the Savior. That he might be the savior of all humanity.

Now, here's why we can't trust leadership on this one. Like tithing, their jobs are linked to the belief that there is no hope for most of humanity. Without the preaching of eternal torment they believe it would be harder to keep the people in the pews, which would hurt the bottom line.

However, we shouldn't come to G-d out of fear of eternal torment. Since there are more reasons than I could list on this page I'll let you figure out your own reasons.