Devotions & Sermons – Liberty Community Online

How to Live Set-Apart and Pure in Jesus

February 6, 2021

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d]

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e] 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[f]
–Hebrews 12:14-29

Today we’re talking about how we can learn to follow Jesus Christ our glorious savior. And we’re considering the book of Hebrews, chapter 12. This book of the Bible is just amazing, it’s so powerful, it’s so deep, it’s so meaningful. I just love it. But I love the whole Bible, it’s all so amazing, I can’t get enough of it. I hope you have a Bible, and that you take time to read it everyday. I usually read the Bible in bed before I sleep at night. And I hope your also praying regularly, asking God to be with you each day, and praying for people and for the world, and for your own needs. Prayer is powerful.

I’m alive today because I had a praying grandmother. I had a mom praying for me. I had a bible study group somewhere praying for me when I was lost in addiction. That’s powerful.

So we know that we’re saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, that was shed on the cross. Jesus was taken by the ruling authorities, and whipped, and beaten, then forced to carry his own cross, to the place where he’d be killed. Then Jesus was made to lay across the wood of the cross, and nailed were driven through his hands and his feet. And then the cross was hoisted up, and dropped into a hole in the ground. And Jesus roasted in the sun, until he had lost so much blood, and become so exhausted, and so dehydrated, that he could no longer hold himself up. See, on the cross you would die from suffocation. You had to force yourself up, to be able to breath, but eventually you were so weak, you couldn’t do it anymore. And you’d die.

But something was strange about the way this Jesus person died. He was on the cross, and it was about noon, about 12 noon, and suddenly it went dark. And this event is actually recorded by historians of the time. It went completely dark for 3 hours. From noon until 3. Totally darkness. Can you imagine this? 3 hours. And then there was an earthquake. And Jesus cried out, he just screamed, screamed so loudly, and then it says he died, and gave up his spirit. That’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus took the punishment that each of us deserve for our sins. He took it on the cross. Then 3 days later he resurrected from the dead. It wasn’t over when Jesus died. He came back to life.

Now our job as Christians today, is to believe in Jesus Christ. To believe that Jesus is really alive, and at work in the world today. He conquered death itself. Meaning we can have eternal life, and live forever, because of what Jesus did.

Now, when we believe in Jesus, we become born again. God changes our heart. My old self is dead. And now a new life starts. Has your new life started? My new life has started.

So now that we are Christians, which means followers of Jesus, we seek with all our strength and determination to live as Jesus lived. This is the tough part. I knew instantly 7 years ago, that when I got saved, Jesus was saying to me, you need to get clean and sober. And Jesus was saying, I’m gonna help you. But I knew Jesus was telling me to go back to recovery. It’s not enough to just believe in Jesus, we need to live differently.

And that’s where a lot of us can get stuck. Because we want Jesus as our savior. But we aren’t really willing to change. But we have to change. That’s what God expects of us. That’s why as soon as I had cried out to Jesus, and I knew Jesus had come into my heart, I started trying to live differently. I started going to 12 step groups. I started attending celebrate recovery. I joined a bible study, attended Sunday services at a church faithfully. I began pursuing the new life Jesus had given me.

Sins started dropping from my life. I quit drinking. I drinking using drugs. A year later I quit smoking cigarettes. I stopped having sex with whoever I wanted to. I decided I was going to honor God in my romantic life. I decided I would wait for marriage to be intimate with a woman. That’s what God made sexual intimacy for, for marriage, a lifelong marriage between husband and wife. So God is challenging us, as His people, to show Him that we really mean it. That we really trust Him. Faith without works is dead. So I gotta get to work!

And its’ fun. It’s great. Sure it’s tough. But man it’s so exciting to watch Jesus change my life. It’s so great to be free from dope, from alcohol, from cigarettes, from meaningless relationships. And it’s so exciting to see a whole new life of purity, of holiness taking hold in my life. It’s like wow, I never thought this was possible, but God is doing it in me! God does the deep work in our souls. And we do the foot work.

As our scripture today said, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” Do you recall that when God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, and Moses led them into the wilderness, that they began to complain against God, and disobey God, and so that generation died wandering in the wilderness, and lost the inheritance they were so hoping for.

What scares me is that I could fall short of making it to heaven when I die. And that’s always a possibility. If I held on to some sins in my life, secretly, and only I knew, well, God would know. And say I come before him on judgment day, all of that stuff is gonna come out. And then God would have to send me to hell. And I would burn in fire and torment forever. That’s terrible. But I was playing games with God, if I did it that way. I’m not going to play any games. I want to be holy, because God is holy. And the new city of God, the new heavens and new earth that God is preparing for us, is for holy people. People who are not living in sin. So I do need to live holy. But it doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a process. Over time God removes sins from my life, I fight against the sin, and God gives the victory. But it’s in his timing. But I work very hard to live in holiness. God does it in me. Jesus Christ lives in me. And it’s amazing. God is so good. But my job is to resist temptation, and pray, and seek God, and study the Bible, and stay in fellowship, attend church faithfully. Then I stay close to God, and those old sins can’t get near me. But if I were to stop attending church, stop praying, stop attending my meeting, and start hanging with the wrong crowd, then pretty soon the devil would be knocking and those old sins could easily come right back.

If you recall when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, they came to mount Sinai. And God would call Moses up the mountain to meet with him. But at that time, that was considered holy ground. And some didn’t take that seriously, and they touched the mountain, and they were struck dead right there. Boom, dead. And Moses witnessed this and he was so shocked, it says he was trembling with fear, trembling before God, because our God is not some sappy, love-sick sort of hippie God. Our God is righteous, holy, and a God of justice. He is going to set all things right. Yes, He loves us. He does, so much. But He is also just. Like any good father, he disciplines us. And let me tell you, growing up, when you hear the dad voice, or grandpa, yelling, because I was doing something wrong, well, you understand. I fear God. I know God can send me to hell. I know He doesn’t want to do that. But God demands that I live right. That I live holy. And he demands the same of all of us. So let’s be holy. If we stick close to God, then we will be holy.

One final thought is this, like we talked about, Jesus Christ is alive right now, he walked the Earth about 2000 years ago, about. In fact somewhere between 2030-2035 will be exactly 2000 years since Jesus walked the Earth. Isn’t that interesting. See after Jesus resurrected from the dead, he showed himself to many witnesses, to his disciples, then he ascended to heaven. And that’s where Jesus is right now, in heaven. But the ultimate conclusion of this planet, and of our lives is when Jesus Christ will return. The Bible says he is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him. So we as Christians are watching for the return of Jesus. We are eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus. We must be watchful. Are you watching for his return? He is coming very, very, very soon. Be watchful.

Social Justice and Critical Theory: Biblical Justice in an Age of Ideological Civil War

June 29, 2018

There is an ideological civil war taking place in the United States, and in western civilization overall. This is a battle that displays itself along political lines, social lines, academic lines, and along religious lines. This ideological civil war is most pronounced in the partisan political battles between left and right, though it also displays itself in other ways. Specifically, the battle for the soul of the church is a front in this battle, among many other fronts like media, academia, culture, and the sciences.

In the church we see the same divide developing across the normal lines, left vs right. We see both sides attempting to push their political views in the church, and this is causing a polarization. What happens in the culture we see mimic itself in the churches. We see struggles in denominations between high and low views of scriptures, between biblical marriage and gay marriage, between social justice warrior progressives vs. traditional justice causes. We see people in the church wanting to step behind and advocate for President Trump, and we see people in the church trying to turn their movement into hashtag #resistance movement.

In the various movements of the churches in western civilization, I’ve seen a growing divide along fairly partisan lines. There is a growing polarization, and it shows itself on social media, and in decisions by the leadership of various movements. We see traditional evangelical theology and liberal theology vying for dominance. We see homosexuality and LGBT ideology attempting to supplant traditional marriage and biblical teachings on gender.

The church has re-embraced one of it’s founding concepts of justice advocacy; but it’s a new ideology, that they call “social justice.” And this social justice has increasingly become a means by which progressive ideology is beginning to infect the church.

Only the progressive causes seem to be allowed full vent in this new social justice warrior ideology. It centers around issues like human trafficking, gender inequality, white privilege, institutional racism, illegal immigration advocacy, LGBT advocacy, refugee advocacy, wealth inequality issues, advocating for victim groups, and pushing for multiculturalism (instead of the melting pot concept).

Traditionally justice causes had included topics like biblical marriage support, pro-life advocacy, fighting homelessness, fighting hunger, supporting the family unit, human trafficking, educating children, fighting poverty, and dealing with other evils of the times.

The new social justice warrior causes are not grounded in traditional Christian beliefs, but actually come out of the secular university system, and tend to be rooted in thinkers like Karl Marx, Herbert Marcuse, and Max Horkheimer. We should be very, very careful as a Christian movement when embracing so freely ideologies like critical theory, group identity, and identity politics.

Let’s identify some terms. Critical theory is the idea that people are enslaved in various forms by society and that the chief end is to set people free from oppressive societal structures. Should we even accept such a premise about society overall? It’s debatable I suppose, but I don’t tend to believe society works that way. Our society for example is a democratic republic. I don’t see it as an oppressive power structure of racism and bigotry. Neither should you, because it’s not. The United States is a meritocracy, we rise and fall based on our merits and how hard we work, not based on oppressive structures.

Critical theory is rooted in Karl Marx’s ideology of power structures, that power is controlled by a select few, and only by enforcing total equality can people be free. Marx thought the structures of society must be criticized (critical theory) attacked and torn down to destroy the elite ruling class (the bourgeoisie).

Group identity is part of critical theory in some ways, and it’s about dividing people up into victim groups. Victim groups are apparently supposed to be people who are victimized by the oppressive power structures of society and need to be liberated. Thus we are told we have to advocate for victim groups, like blacks, the LGBT community, the Latino community, and so on and so forth. The problem is people are not and should not be identified by groups. People are not groups, people are individuals with unique individual identities. Society is not about victim groups vying for power from an oppressive societal structure. Society is about individuals, who organize in community. Society’s base unit is not groups, but the family unit, and more so, the individual.

We should completely reject these false premises coming out of the humanities and social sciences departments at secular universities.

Last term, identity politics is the process by which political movements attempt to gain power by pandering to victim groups. This usually means that anyone who disagrees with the politics of the movement in question is labeled and slandered as a racist, sexist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, homophobic, so and so. This also means that anyone who departs from the group think of a victim group, like blacks for example, is slandered and ostracized. You’ll often see black individuals who leave the group think, like Dr. Ben Carson, or Thomas Sowell, or Larry Elder slandered as “uncle toms” (a racial slur) for having differing political views.

How have these social justice warrior faux causes invaded various church movements? If politics is downstream from culture, sadly the church is downstream from culture as well. The secular university system pushes ideologies like Marxism, feminism, secular humanism, white privilege, group think, and so on, and then those ideologies gradually invade the church and become part of the churches identity.

Increasingly we see in the church, liberal and conservative on one side, with a rabid progressive ideology on the other side. Liberal and conservative are very similar in many ways, foundationally so because they both embrace the basic principles of the American founding. Both liberals and conservatives share common values like personal liberty, equality of opportunity, democratic republicanism as a system of government, natural law, and the sanctity of life.

Unfortunately the progressive ideology does not share these viewpoints. The progressive viewpoint tends to see the American founding from a critical theory perspective. Critical theory says that the systems in place are in place because they are evil and stole power from the masses. So the American founding is attacked and slandered. The American founding is re-packaged as evil slave-holding white men killing native americans and forming an evil oppressive religious theocracy that must be toppled and rebuilt from the ground up. Essentially progressivism is an utopian ideology. The idea is that if only the progressives can gain power and over-throw the existing structures, only then will people be free and utopia will finally come about.

We in the churches of western civilization, we who follow Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible should reject these false ideologies, and we should challenge false concepts like multiculturalism, white privilege, institutional racism, supposed gender inequality, open borders immigration policy, the language of advocating for victim groups, and so on and so forth. These ideologies are not rooted in Christianity. They are rooted in secular social theory. We should resist them at every level of our organizations and church movements.

Much of the time it’s really political, and based on partisan battles. Though just as often, it’s simply what people have been taught. Other times, people in our movements are pushing them out of a misguided desire for justice. This desire is good, but basing it in these secular social theories does little to alleviate societal injustice. Let’s look at these social justice warrior causes one by one and see what they are really about.

Multiculturalism – Multiculturalism is essentially the opposite of the melting pot. The melting pot is the idea that various cultures and peoples come to America for a new life, and they assimilate in various ways to American culture, while also enriching American culture with their own unique cultures. Multiculturalism is the idea of cultures remaining separate and unique. We see this play out in major cities where various cultures are divided into different parts of the city. Multiculturalism says you should not learn the native language, but speak your own language. Multiculturalism says you should reject any level of assimilation. This is not good my friends. And in the Christian worldview, we come from various cultures and societies, but we make up a unity, as the body of Christ. We are all parts of the same body, we’re not broken up into groups and separated.

White privilege – White privilege is the idea that evil, racist white people stole all the power from the various victim groups we’ve talked about. And white privilege is this idea that you need to feel guilty for being white, and you need to give away your power, and you need to “check your privilege” and apologize to victim groups for hurting them. This ideology says that all cultures are equal, aside from “white culture” which is evil (a misnomer because European Caucasian cultures are very diverse). So all cultures are equal, except “white culture” which is always bad and fallen.

Your individual conduct doesn’t seem to matter here, you are required to take ownership of slavery, of racism, and of all the supposed evils of mean white people, even if you’ve never personally done those things. Even if your ancestors immigrated (legally) from Poland in the early 1900s, like mine, you still are suppose to take ownership of racism and slavery and apologize for how awful you are. It’s ridiculous, and once again based in critical theory, the idea of tearing down existing institutions and advocating for “victim groups.”

Institutional racism – This is the idea that entire institutions are racist and evil. They would suggest that some police departments overall are racist. They would argue societal norms are rooted in racism. And essentially, just suggest that just about everything in some way or another is rooted in racism. It’s bizarre.

Racism certainly does still exist in our society. But it exists on an individual basis, not as part of oppressive societal structures. We should fight racism and put an end to it forever. But not based on institutions. That’s not where it exists. Racism exists on an individual level. Identify an individual racist based on their personal conduct, and deal with them personally, but don’t condemn entire entities for the actions of single individuals.

And never forget that a generation of these “evil white men” laid down their lives by the hundreds of thousands (620,000 in the Union) in the civil war to end slavery in the USA. We seem to like to ignore that historical fact, but we shouldn’t. Too many bled and died for it.

Illegal immigration – Why open borders should be a cause for the church to champion I will never know. Countries have laws. All countries have borders, and laws to cross those borders. There isn’t anything wrong with that. So I’ve never understood this issue entirely. But I think it probably has something to do with the ideology of utopianism, that the way forward is for the entire world to unite, without borders, and that somehow this produces utopia.

Of course it doesn’t, and it’s caused huge problems across Europe. But in the United States immigration is seen as a racial issue, just like everything else in identity politics. The victim group is Mexican families seeking new lives in America. And anyone who opposes open borders is then branded as racist, xenophobic, and hateful. But with politics, you have to look beneath the surface.

And the beneath the surface is this reality: The progressives are, through open borders, transforming the voting blocks along the border states and indeed throughout the whole country. Of course this fact would be branded as racist and hateful, but it remains a reality. That is the truth, that and Wallstreet’s power brokers want cheap labor. Sadly, those are the real political motivations behind open borders. It’s ugly, and grim. But there it is.

In any case, wouldn’t it be wiser to help the people of Mexico thrive and flourish in the country of Mexico? Why should the best and brightest keep fleeing Mexico to break into the United States? I dream of churches helping Mexicans to transform their own society, and build a brighter future there.

Refugee advocacy – There is no problem with advocating for helping refugees, as long as those refugees are adequately vetted. It always comes down to the struggle between compassion and truth in the church. Those on the left want all compassion, those on the right want truth. So we have to find a balance.

Gender inequality – Just so you aware, the “gender pay gap” is a myth. And the study that suggested thegender pay gap has been debunked, because it didn’t take into account the fact that women typically prefer jobs that don’t pay as well in certain cases. Of course that’s not always the case. But here is an article to back that up. Once you factor in differences of lifestyle choices and preferences for certain jobs, the supposed pay gap disappears. Interesting isn’t it?

Wealth Inequality – The concept here is that wealth inequality exists because the mean rich people are oppressing the poor. I’m sure there are some cases where that is true. But it’s not a rule for society overall itself. In a capitalist society, like the United States, one rises and falls economically based on various factors like education, marriage, children, and just how determined you are to work hard and do your best. It’s actually amazing how much people can rise and fall economically in the United States. For that reason and many others, I don’t understand why the church should be out there pushing Marxist ideas of wealth inequality. If someone wants to be wealthier, they need to work hard, get married, stay married, don’t have children until after they’re married, maybe go to college, and never give up. And it’s also wise to not play the victim!

In conclusion, instead of pushing secular social theory in our church movements, we should look to the Bible, the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to understand what justice is and is not.

We as Christians need to be very careful. Many, sadly, don’t really love the word of God. They don’t really love Jesus, in fact. They love their ideology, and they push it in our church movements. And if we don’t stop them, they’ll convert us from Christians to secular social justice warriors.

We should advocate for those who struggle and suffer. We should stand up for traditional marriage, pro-life causes, ending human trafficking, caring for refugees, advocating for religious liberty, and we should carry the gospel to the lost all over the world. But we should reject secular social theories based on critical theory and Marxism, and instead look for our causes in the pages of the Bible.

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Dear Salvation Army, Taking on Controversial Issues

August 20, 2016

The views on this blog do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Salvation Army, it’s employees, or partners.

The Salvation Army takes a stand on a lot of key issues, from human trafficking to poverty. The Army challenges the issues of the day. But these are the most discussed issues. In fact these are issues where it isn’t particularly risky to take a stand. The Salvation Army has always been on the cutting edge of world issues. But it seems to me that we’re missing some of the most important issues.

The Salvation Army has spoken out loudly on human trafficking, and as well we should. Human trafficking is an abomination. It is pure evil. But why not also address a topic that leads to much of this human trafficking? The issue of pornography. We could take a greater stance on pornography, and target it for scrutiny. Our position statement on pornography is rock solid, that’s a great start. But how can we advocate against it? How can we raise awareness?

Next is an incredibly vital issue, it is the issue of abortion. This is a controversial issue. This topic is not politically correct and it is not a liberal-approved cause. But it is as important as life itself. Literally. Abortion is nothing less than modern day child sacrifice. It is pure evil. And the church must stand against abortion in the strongest terms possible. This issue is of concern in the Salvation Army. While in the United States and most Salvation Army territories the SA position statement remains very pro-life; unfortunately the international position statement in not. The IHQ position statement could actually be described as pro-abortion in some respects (Read it here.) Abortion is never OK. Taking forceps and cutting apart a living child within the belly of his or her mother is madness. Sucking the brain out of a living child inside his or her mother with a sort of vacuum like device, is not Christian. It isn’t even humane. There can be no exceptions, not even for incest or rape, because it still requires taking one life, for the convenience of another. The only question that matters is: “Is the unborn child a human life?” If the answer is yes, then that life can’t be snuffed out for the emotional convenience of the mother.

The Salvation Army has historically spoken out on issues of social justice and political reform. The Salvation Army should be hosting pro-life rallies, lobbying governments, and speaking out in the media to end the horrible tragedy of abortion. The silence is deafening on this issue and we need to speak up. Today. Lives hang in the balance. To read more about abortion click here.

Next let’s talk about marriage. The only biblical position in marriage in that of being between one man and one woman. Any other position is outside the Bible. Scripture is as clear as crystal about this issue. The issue of gay marriage has in less than 20 years radically transformed society not only in the United States, but across Europe and the world. Many churches have spoken out, and many organizations are taking a stand against the radical redefinition of marriage; and more recently the redefinition of gender itself. These redefinitions are harmful to society, harmful to young people, and the most harmful to children who are being raised up into a society that is telling them anything goes.

The Salvation Army can take a stand on this issue. We need to hold closely to the biblical definition of marriage. And many in the Army are concerned that leadership might move to the left on this issue. Historically it’s been shown that when major organizations move away from their core founding principles, they quickly fall apart and dissolve. It begins with a mass exodus by the front-line leaders who still hold to the core principles. Then goes the rest. I don’t want to see that happen. If you look on the Salvation Army IHQ website, at the position statements, marriage is unlisted. In fact the army has bent over backwards to reach out to and support the “LGBT community” while making little mention of the biblical position. It is of concern. But I’m of firm belief that strong, biblical leaders are the vast majority within the Salvation Army and once mobilized will quickly put an end to any nefarious endeavors to step outside the scriptures. The spirit of 1865 will win out.

Recently the Salvation Army international has taken to boldly supporting the invocation of tens of thousands of Muslim refugees into Europe. IHQ even posted a petition request to lobby the United Nations to bring in even more refugees. In reality, since Europe has taken in these refugees, unchecked and unvetted, there have been a string of violent terrorist attacks in countries like France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and others. Unfortunately ISIS terrorists did in fact seed themselves within the ranks of the refugee population and used the opportunity to wage terror.

This is a difficult issue. I’m all for helping out refugees, and setting up camps to feed and clothes those affected by regional instability, but perhaps it should’ve been done in a more wise manner. Maybe the Salvation Army needs to be encouraging safety and security more so than misguided compassion that leaves the door open to terrorist violence.

Another important issue relates to the genocide of Christians in the middle east. Did you know the number one persecuted minority in the world is Christianity? The media doesn’t talk about it much unfortunately. It doesn’t fit their narrative of Christian oppression in the west. But it’s true. It doesn’t get much air time sadly. Which is why the church needs to speak up on this issue. How can the Salvation Army begin to stand for the persecuted Christians in the middle east?

According to the International Society for Human Rights, an estimated 80% of acts of discrimination against religion in the world are against Christians. Much of the violence has been perpetrated against Christians in Iraq, with hundreds of thousands being forced to flee the country. The symbol related to what is being called the Christian genocide is this, maybe you’ve seen it pop up on social media:

To learn more about the Christian genocide and how to take action click here. Matthew 5:10 (ESV) says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

And finally, the issue of religious liberty is front and center on the national stage in the United States. More and more so in Canada and Europe, religious liberty is already a thing of the past. If pastors or Christians share biblical views on marriage, or speak the truth about radical Islam, they can be charged with hate crimes, fined, or even imprisoned. Many nations already persecute and minimize religious groups, most notably China, Iran, and North Korea. But in the last ten years Europe has begun to restrict speech and so has Canada. Very recently Russia made evangelizing illegal across their entire nation. In the United States the war is raging for religious liberty. How can we as the Salvation Army take a stand for our freedom of speech and freedom of conscience?

Should Christian business owners be required to cater gay marriage ceremonies? Should Christian churches be required to marry LGBT couples or be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars? Should Little Sisters of the Poor be required to perform abortions? Should Christian businesses be required to pay for their employee’s abortions? These legal battles are taking place. These moral issues are being discussed hotly today in our culture. How can we in the Salvation Army advocate for religious freedom and for the freedom to preach the Bible in all areas of life? Take a stand, because our culture is swiftly changing and moving toward dangerous areas.

There are several great organizations where you can learn more about the issue of religious liberty. Some of them include:

The American Family Association

Alliance Defending Freedom

The Heritage Foundation

The Family Research Council

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Council

EWTN Religious Liberties Organization

Liberty Counsel

In conclusion, the Salvation Army has always been edgy. The Salvation Army has always taken a stand on controversial issues of the day. That’s what kept the Army at the forefront of culture, society, and world concerns. And many times it meant being arrested, pelted with rocks, hated, or criticized in the media. Sometimes that’s what it takes to be relevant in a troubled world. We in the Salvation Army take a stand on many key issues of our day, we stand strong on poverty, homelessness, hunger, human trafficking, domestic violence, education, alcoholism/drug addiction, and disaster relief. Now let’s take a stand on issues like abortion, pornography, marriage, gender, persecution, and political corruption. Take care and God bless.

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The Return of Jesus Christ & the New Jerusalem

July 25, 2016

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York, Macmillan, 1960, p. 119.

This life is short. Anything can happen. Our bodies function for a certain number of years, and then we die. Life can seem very difficult at times. Life can seem great at times, and we’re happy. Life is a strange thing. We walk around in these mechanical bodies working jobs, driving cars, getting married, making babies, walking about hustling and bustling to do this or that on this mud covered sphere flying through the void of space at thousands of miles per hour. You’ve got the moon, the stars at night, the clouds and sun during the day. It’s quite odd.

We do many things in life. We try many things. We work, we wonder, and we dream. And we yearn for something more.

I always had a yearning within. Even when I was very young, me and my sister would do little more than play all day. But after a few years I began to ache, just slightly at the end of the day, and think to myself: Is this all life is? The best way I could describe it is that it’s like the day after Christmas. There’s been this great build up for all these gifts I’d thought I’d wanted, that I thought would fulfill me, and they’ve just let me down.

In the same way, using marijuana, or speed, or getting drunk, I’ve done those things. And eventually after a few years your just waiting for the hangover, or your waiting for the “come down.” You can hardly enjoy it anymore. Because increasingly every day there is growing sense of meaninglessness. There is a growing sense of frustration, as time and again and again and again, I set a goal for myself, I set a desire, a product, a relationship, a marriage, a trip, a season, as my ultimate, that somehow when I reach this point finally, finally finally everything is going to be ok. But that moment never comes. It’s always a let down, and I’m disappointed beyond belief. What a cruel reality, and how frustrating after 50 tries, after 100 tries, after 500 tries.

The true story is told of Deion Sanders, a hall of fame corner back who played for the Dallas Cowboys. He had just won the superbowl. He’d had a great game. He was back at the hotel with superbowl ring. And he was on the phone ordering a new Lamborghini. He set down the foot and a very, very disturbing feeling fell over him. Meaninglessness, he had just achieved every goal he had set, and there was nothing. Just emptiness. In the hotel room, Deion Sanders fell down onto his knees, and called out to Jesus Christ.

All we seek after, the fame, the glory, the relationships, the perfect marriage… it all fails to satisfy that sacred yearning.

That yearning is eternity, set up the human heart by God almighty. It is why we ache for something we’ve never had, a perfect timeless existence in full connection to God almighty. I fall into that too, thinking about the perfect romantic relationship. Maybe then my depression will go away, maybe then my tiredness will fade, maybe then I won’t feel lonely at night. But it isn’t true. Only God can satisfy that eternity, because he has placed it upon our hearts, as a desire for a new world. We have within a sacred desire for life without boundaries, for perfect justice, for perfect love, and for a perfect world. Does it make sense to you? If nothing in this world satisfies me, then I must be made for another world.

As Christians we believe that Jesus Christ the son of God came to Earth, that he died a replacement death for us, he died in our place on the cross, to redeem us in God’s eyes. Jesus then resurrected from the dead bodily. And he returned to heaven. As Christians we believe Jesus Christ will return to collect us, his people, and give us all the promises he has made.

Revelation 22:12-17 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

Jesus answers our call for eternity, the desperate desire within all of us for something greater when he says “I am the alpha and the omega. I am the first and the last. I am the beginning and the end.” What an astounding statement, to save that he is all. He is the answer to the yearnings of our deep souls. We’re made in the image of God, making this limiting world quite exhausting, sad for us, we’re like teenager on a kindergarten playground. We’re capable of much more, desiring of greater things, yet stuck on the monkey bars. For now.

Because Jesus Christ is coming back. And when he returns, he will do many wonderful things. We’ll talk about that in a minute, first, let’s look at our apologetic moment.

1. The universe exists and it must have a cause, everything that begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist. Evolution can’t create, neither can science. The universe needs a first cause that is timeless, outside the system and infinitely powerful. God is the logical first cause (cosmological argument)

2. The universe is finely tuned, there is order in the universe at work that allows for planets, stars and galaxies. There are laws in the universe, constants like gravity, relativity, and so on. It’s reasonable that when we find mathematical laws and cosmological laws in the universe, that there is a powerful being that created those systems (argument from design)

3. Within the human cell we find massive amounts of information. When we look at the human eye, we see a system so incredibly complicated that it could never come about by chance. When scientists look into the human body they see a complex yet harmonious system of machinery. We see cells and tissue, and DNA and systems that all function as one, and are irreducibly complex. (specified complexity, irreducibly complexity).

4. The human mind intuitively knows that there is good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad. Objective moral laws exist, they are universal. If objective morals exist, then an objective moral law giver must exist, therefore God exists. (moral argument)

So to review, Jesus came the first time to offer himself as a sacrifice to save us, but this return of Christ has to do with rewarding those who are waiting for him.

We await our savior. We await the great chance to be with Him forever. So we must be careful that we continue in the faith. Jesus has entrusted us with his gospel, and he requires of us that we share it with others. Do you recall the parable of the 3 servants? Each of the servants were good stewards of the gifts the master gave them, aside from the 3rd servant who simply buried his gift and didn’t make any use of it.

Again, think of the parable of the ten virgins. 5 of them were prepared, 5 of them were foolish. The master took a long time to return, and they fell asleep. They didn’t bring enough oil to keep their lamps lit. So they were not able to enter the kingdom. The master told them “I don’t know you.” Those words terrify me. The parable of the ten virgins has always scared me. The last words say “Therefore keep watch, because you don’t know the day or the hour.”

I’m hoping after hoping to hear some very sweet simple words from my savior: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Faithful, and good. Interesting combination. We live by faith, yet we must also try our best to live in holiness.

In the future, we die, or perhaps in our lifetime, Jesus Christ returns. Either way, we meet Jesus face to face. Whether you believe in God or not, you will see God face to face. Every person will. I feel sorry for those killed in the Orlando shooting, because they may find themselves hearing the words “I don’t know you.” I can’t judge, only God knows for certain. But I can examine and discern the truth.

If we are found faithful and good in the eyes of Christ Jesus, we will be rewarded for our good deeds, at an event called the great white throne judgment. Some might say “oh judgment, Jesus wouldn’t judge anybody.”

“Well, actually, he will judge everyone. And to add to that, do you not know you will judge angels?” -1st Corinthians 6:3. Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

But for those of us who know Christ as our savior and Lord, there is no judgment for us, there is only reward, glory, honor, praise and riches in heaven. For those outside the cross, there will be judgment. And I’m glad for that, because God is a perfectly righteous judge. I’m certain every judgment he makes, the smallest, to the greatest will be 100% just, and right, and deserving.

Judgment offends our modern sensibilities. But judgment is a good thing when done by God. I trust Him. The return of Jesus Christ shows us a whole new side of our savior. Jesus while on earth 2,000 years ago lived a life of radical service, he was meek, lowly, and merciful. The returning Jesus Christ, we see is powerful, strong, and a warrior.

Revelation 19:11-16 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. -Revelation 19:11-16 NIV

So we make the cut, we’re a precious friend of Jesus and we’re welcomed into a new state of existence. Many things must come to pass in the end times before that can happen. We’re not going to get too much into that today. We’re going to talk about the city of God.

The scriptures say that our current reality, this Earth and the stars, all of it are destined for fire, for destruction. And in Revelation it says that then comes a new heavens, and a new Earth. And a new city, called the New Jerusalem. Our eternal home, in the next life, will be the city called New Jerusalem.

Now let me tell you about this city, it is really something special. It will amaze you. The New Jerusalem is a city, are you ready for your mind to be blown? God’s eternal city is a giant cube, about 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high. That gives the New Jerusalem an area of 2.25 million square miles.

This is an approximation of the size of the city when compared with Earth as it is right now. Simply astounding.

Revelation says the city will literally come out of the heavens. Almost like a ship, landing on the new Earth. Revelation 21:11 says the city shined with the glory and presence of God.

Now every once in a while we get a tiny taste of the presence of God. Sometimes when I’m leading Bible study, or preaching or praying at night, I get a sensation of the true presence of God. And it’s the most amazing feeling ever, and I wish it would stay, but it always flees. That’s how things are in this life, in the fall of man. But in the eternal city, the full presence of God will be everywhere. The city has twelve foundations on each foundation is written the names of the 12 apostles of Christ and 12 entrances along the sides, marked with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The walls were made of jasper, which is a beautiful red stone. And the city itself is made of gold. The twelve foundations are decorated with all sorts of precious stones, like topaz, emerald, ruby, and amethyst. The twelve gates were each made from a single, giant pearl. Thus the old adage, the “pearly gates.” Literally, the gates to New Jerusalem, your future home, will be pure pearl.

I won’t you to think about that, and picture yourself touching the gate with your hand. Because God willing, one day you will. You really will.

There is no temple necessary in the city, because the city itself is God’s temple. And you live there! Nothing impure will ever enter the city. The nations will come into the city, aka the gentiles. Who are gentiles? We are gentiles. Finally it says in Revelation 21 that the city has no need for moon, stars or sun, because God himself lights the city.

The angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. –Revelation 22:1-5 NIV

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Comprehending the Truth about America: Presentations on the Censored Truth

July 4, 2016

Comprehending the Truth about America: Presentations on the Censored Truth

If your like me, you’ve just got to know the truth. There’s something inside you that yearns insatiably for it. Perhaps it is the splinter in the mind Morpheus described to Neo in the Matrix movies. Something aches in our hearts when we watch Fox News or CNN. Something beneath the surface twists when we watch the political spin and false narratives. Something inside cries out: It’s the desire to know the truth.

Most any average idiot on the streets is clueless as to what is really going on in this country. Why? The mainstream media. They very effectively perpetrate a false narrative of “progress” and “everything is fine, nothing to see here!” They carefully censor the truth. Hollywood pushes the narrative forward as well. And quite thoroughly, the United States public school system instructs en masse, a revised and edited history of life that has edited out Christianity, edited out certain key facts, and endeavored to portray America as evil and our founders as average joe corrupt dirt bags.

I knew something was off, my whole life. I honestly did. It drove me crazy in school, junior high, high school and on into college. I imagine much the same happened for you? Something inside your mind told you something was wrong. Though the modernity mindset pushed on you in society sold you the idea that everything was basically good and OK, something pulled at your mind. So you started researching, probably on the internet. Before that, we were really hopelessly screwed. The splinter in the mind was thorough before the web and the more the television played, the more acute the splinter became.

Thankfully we have the internet now. And many of us started researching. We started to learn about the truth behind the body guard of lies. But many of us still don’t fully understand the reality of what is happening in the United States. There isn’t anything wrong with that. Some of us focus more so on different areas of study in our search for truth. We all have different interests, and different desires for knowledge. Nothing wrong with that!

For me, I dug deep into the political situation. I wanted to understand that area and I dug into the meaning of life question as well. Those were my areas of deepest desire for knowledge. I found out a great deal. So I’d like to share some presentations, videos of some great minds who can fill you in on certain spheres of truth. These questions and answers are quite expansive, so we often have to find individuals in various fields, and with various skills to share from varying perspectives. The perspectives overlap in places, like spheres meshing with other spheres to provide worldview-level truth.

I hope these presentations will help enlighten you as to the truth of America in the political, cultural, and religious realms. Enjoy.

1. Dr. D. James Kennedy – The Culture War in America

2. Alan Keyes on God-Ordained Natural Marriage

3. Ben Shapiro on Politics on the American Campus

4. Francis Schaeffer – The Watershed of the Evangelical World

5. Frank Turek – Why Christians Should Be Involved in Politics

6. Os Guinness – Challenging the Darkness: Towards a New Christian Renaissance

7. Dr. Del Tackett- The Truth Project & Christian Education

8. Dr. D. James Kennedy – George Washington the Christian

9. The State of the World

10. Ben Stein – Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Documentary

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