by Charles Henderson

A young man asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered the man (Matthew 19:16-22), “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And as so many young people will retort, the young man asked Jesus, “Which ones?”

Jesus answered him:

“Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Again as so many will argue, the young man told Jesus, “I have kept all these. What do I still lack?”

Then Jesus responded, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Clearly, this overwhelmed the young man, as it would so many of us, and Jesus knows it too. The Scripture concludes that when the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

We all can identify with that young man. We have much and do not easily give what we love away. Yes, we do love our material world, and those things that we possess. We are human, and God knows this about us. Very, very few of us give up all we own and follow Christ. We want to have our stuff, and Jesus too.

Jesus then turned to His disciples and told them (Matthew 19:23-26), “I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

His disciples were astonished and asked our Lord, “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

We know that eternal life with Christ comes only one way, through Christ Jesus, Himself. (Ephesians 2:8-9) “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift–not from works, so that no one can boast.”

All of us have broken many of God’s commandments. How many of us are willing to sell all that we own and give to the poor? And how many of us are willing to even come and completely follow Christ?

Following Christ means letting go of this worldly life and living in God’s will, wholly serving Jesus as our Lord, doing all that He calls us to do, and turning away from all that we want to do for ourselves.

Yes, that last part is the hardest part. Turning away from all that we want to do for ourselves, and doing all for Christ. As human beings are we even capable of it?

So, what is the least we can do? As Christians, what ought we do?

Paul says that we are slaves of Christ by our free will, our own choices, when we are saved. As slaves of Christ, the Lord owns us body and soul, and all that we have. Yet, none of us, not even the best and most righteous of us, come close to what Jesus told the young man.

God knows this, and has known it all along. Jesus knew it when He told the young man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, and come follow Him. He was asking the humanly impossible.

However, to serve Christ we must at least give it our best efforts. And I think that this is what matters to God. We give to Him our honest best efforts, put Him first in our lives, and beg His forgiveness when we fail. And we do fail daily. Believe me.

So, you may ask, what does this best effort entail?

One thing clearly, the Holy Spirit will show you. Each day you will have choices, selfish ones and giving ones. Choices that serve God’s will and choices that serve your own desires. Believe me, you will know it when you encounter the choices. The Holy Spirit will tug at your heart, or gut. You will feel that little pull on your strings somehow, somewhere, and rather than ignoring that twist at the pit of your stomach, stop and listen to what the Lord says to you.

While the Bible does not command us to give, we know that God wants us to give. Does that make sense?

Paul repeatedly tells us that God has made each of us with talents that support and serve His will and the Body of Christ, His Church. He calls some of us as preachers and teachers, some as prayer warriors, mentors, some as musicians, some as financial managers and fund raisers; each of us different, and most of us with multiple talents. But God calls all of us to serve Him in one way or another, in all the ways that we can.

Perhaps the most troublesome subject among church-going people is the practice of Tithing and regular financial offerings. It is vital to every church that the congregation give to the church financially, so that God’s work can reach all who need Him. Today, many, many people need greatly.

Nowhere in the Bible does God command us to Tithe. He does not require us to give a dime. Yet we must give something back to God, some of what He gives to us, in order for His church to do its work and flourish.

Think about it for a moment. Consider yourself and the gifts that others give to you. Except for some greedy children at Christmas, do you command your family to give you gifts, such as on your birthday or Christmas? Yet, for most of us, our families give abundantly to us. Why do you suppose that is?

We give gifts because we love the people to whom we give them.

Same goes for giving to God. We give to Him because we love Him.

God wants us to have a joyful, giving heart. Giving not only to Him, but giving to all who need. Jesus told the young man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. God loves them, and that is how He gives to the poor. Through us, who love God.

We are God’s hands. Therefore, we do His work, and we give to His church so that God’s work can reach those who need Him.

Therefore, Tithes long ago became a standard among Christian churches.

Tithe in Hebrew means a tenth.

The practice of giving a tenth comes in many respects from the example that Jacob sets for us in Genesis 28:22, when he named the place, Bethel, or God’s House. Scripture says, “This stone I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give to me.”

This Scripture comes after Jacob, who God later names Israel, departed from his home and had received from his father, Isaac, the family inheritance, and had received Isaac’s blessing ahead of his brother Esau. Esau, in turn, went to his uncle, Ishmael, and married his daughter, Mahalath. Another story.

As the inheritor of Isaac and the covenant of Abraham, Jacob listened to his father and mother, and departed for Paddan-aram, where he would find his wives, Leah and Rachel.

And thus we have the following Scripture that tells of Jacob’s dream, God’s blessings to come, and Jacob’s vow to God:

Genesis 28:10-22 (HCSB)
¹⁰ Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.
¹¹ He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place.
¹² And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.
¹³ Yahweh was standing there beside him, saying, “I am Yahweh, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land that you are now sleeping on.
¹⁴ Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
¹⁵ Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”
¹⁸ Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it
¹⁹ and named the place Bethel, though previously the city was named Luz.
²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow: “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, if He provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear,
²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.
²² This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me.”

Some people interpret what Jacob vowed as him striking a bargain with God, and in return for that bargain he would give a Tithe or a tenth back to God of all that God had given to him. One hand washes the other. A contract with two sides.

I interpret it differently than Jacob striking a bargain with God. We do not bargain with God!

I believe that Jacob loved God, and spoke his vow as reassurance, knowing without a doubt that God will take care of him in his journey and will bring him home safely. For Jacob, this dream was the proof that God was with him, and he knew it.

Therefore, in praise of God and with a joyful and giving heart, Jacob pledged to God a tenth of all that God gave him.

Jacob realized that all that exists and all that he had inherited came from God, and that he was blessed by God. Jacob’s dream told him this! Jacob’s vow was simply him verbalizing all that he realized, largely shown him in the dream: That God was with him and would take him to this far-away land safely, protecting him, and would return him home safely. And that God’s plan for him was a great nation. His offspring would be like the dust of the earth, and would spread in all directions, and the land where he rested would be his, for his nation, Israel. God promised this to Jacob, without any bargaining.

Jacob pledged to God a tenth of all that God gave him. Jacob made this promise and gave his Tithes because he loved the Lord. Jacob praised God for His blessings. For His promises.

As I said, there are those who will argue that it was simply Jacob’s side of a bargain he struck with God. If God delivered His side of the deal, Jacob would give a tenth of all he received from then on.

I am sorry, but I choose to believe in the goodness of Jacob; that Jacob did not bargain with God but loved the Lord, and celebrated God’s love for him by giving back to God his Tithes.

Today, many Christians follow this example and give a tenth to God of all that God gives to them. That tenth, or Tithe, is the very least they give, their bottom line. It is not a limit to giving but a floor. We do not just give our ten percent, but at least give that much.

We give with a free and joyful heart. Giving because of our love of God. Tithing is one of many ways we praise God, and show Him our thanks for all He gives to us.

Another aspect of this giving is where we draw the line to base that tenth.

We know in Genesis 4 that Abel was a shepherd and Cain worked the ground. Cain presented some of the produce of the land as an offering to God, but Abel presented as an offering to God some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.

I do not know the quality of Cain’s offering of some of his produce, Genesis 4 does not describe it, but God did not find Cain’s offering favorable. However, God did find that Abel giving his firstborn pleased Him. God found favor in Abel’s offering.

Of course, God favoring Abel’s offering sparked the murder of Abel by Cain. Jealousy of brother against brother, the sin that led to murder.

From Abel we learn that God favors the firstborn, or the first fruits. We see that repeated in all offerings throughout history. God favors the first fruits. Its meaning is symbolic of the most valuable and most significant to us. Our gifts to God should have strong meaning with us. It should be a sacrifice to give them, thus they are important and put God first of all things in our lives.

Remember this? God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, for our salvation. Jesus is our Heavenly Father’s firstborn Lamb, God’s first fruit.

Thus, in our offerings to God, giving to our church, we should consider our first fruits as offering. In modern times, many of us regard that first fruit as the gross amount of money that we earn.

What does God give us? All that we have or ever will have. From everything that we receive from God, we should consider taking His portion off the top, not the bottom.

“I can’t afford to give to the church, I am behind in my debts,” some may say.

Others may object, “If I give a tenth to the church, then I am short that much in my family budget. God needs to give me more, so I can afford to give offerings to God.”

On the opposite end of that argument we have churches that basically tax their congregations ten percent of earnings and more. Many do it. They require members to submit annual earnings statements and pledges of their Tithes. They demand ten percent. Some church leaders will say that Tithing is Scriptural Law, which simply is not true. And many in the churches honestly believe it too.

Such practices have many Christians turning away from churches, and condemning even the mention of Tithes. It causes members to begrudgingly give anything.

God wants our hearts, not our money!

God does not need our money! He created all that exists. All of it belongs to Him in the first place.

We should only give to God because of our love for Him, and our desire to serve Him in all that we can do.

For the Christian family, giving a Tithe, is often a good practice. When I was a child, I was taught to call it my “Love Offering.” And I joyfully gave! I love God!

Tithing is a good way for a family to budget its funds too. It is a sound practice for a family that projects its spending, and follows God’s will for us to be good stewards of all that He gives to us.

A tenth, in my opinion, is the least a person can give, or ought to give. And we should always give more at every opportunity. When God calls us to give, we give!

Not just giving from our money, but giving our time, our talents, our energies. Putting God first in all that we do.

We should not fear giving to God, but strive to do it. Lay not treasures on earth but in heaven. After all, the things of this earth will pass away, and burn in the furnace, but the spirit–our spirits–will live for eternity, with our Lord, Jesus!

At the end of this lesson, Jesus told His disciples:

Matthew 19:28-30 (HCSB)
²⁸ Jesus said to them, “I assure you: In the Messianic Age, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
²⁹ And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.
³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

 ©Copyright 2015 Charles W. Henderson 

By Charles Henderson

RESOLVED: I will reach out in kindness and love to all people I meet. I will especially reach out to people of different ethnicity than my own, extending to them love of mankind.

This is the resolution I have made, the morning after I watched in deep sadness as the good hearted people of America fell victim to the haters and race baiters who have used an incident in Ferguson, Missouri to further agendas based on hatred and racial differences.

I will wager that the vast majority of all the people of Ferguson and of Saint Louis County, Missouri, and all across America find the violence and hatred we see streaming across our television screens, on social media, in all media, repugnant. Most people, I will wager, want peace and do love their neighbors. They want justice and freedom for all of God’s children—us.

Haters and baiters seized the opportunity to further their political agendas throughout the last three months, since that fateful day that Michael Brown, a very large and intimidating young man, stole a handful of cigars from a convenience store, encountered a policeman seeking him out, and fell to a violent death in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri.

I will not debate one side or the other in the matter of whether or not the officer was justified in shooting Michael Brown, but I will take a stand on what is right in America, and violence, bloodshed, rioting and hatred, especially racially motivated hatred is all very, very wrong. We are better than this!

I watched in horror as Autozone and Advance Auto and locally owned mom-and-pop businesses burned to the ground after all things of any value were looted from these stores in Ferguson, Missouri. Most of these local businesses were owned by African-American people. Good, hard-working people. People who want what is best for our nation and their community. Many African-American people worked in the chain stores too. Autozone and Advance Auto Supply. Mechanics in those businesses are mostly African-American people, and looters and haters and racist thugs stole their personal tools before burning their sources of employment to the ground.

Mechanics across the USA make a living in shops, like barbers and hair stylists, and they own their own tools of their trade. Mechanics work for years and years to earn the thousands of dollars it costs to fill professional tool boxes. Think about it. A lifetime of hard work stolen by worthless thugs who use hate as an excuse to rob and burn a community.

My heart cries out for the hard-working, good people of Ferguson and across America who chose sides in this ugly controversy. People being duped by the likes of Al Sharpton and other racists. Yes, racism lives on both sides of the street.

In 1987, while I lived in New York City, Al Sharpton made himself famous by taking up the case of Tawana Brawley, a young girl of 15 years who alleged that she was raped by three white men, one of whom was a police officer. She had been missing four days from her home in Wappingers Falls, New York, and was discovered lying seemingly unconscious and unresponsive in a garbage bag near an apartment where she had once lived. Her clothing was partially burned and torn, and her body was smeared with feces. At the hospital, medical workers rendering her aid found the words, “KKK” and “nigger” and “bitch,” written across her torso in a black substance like charcoal.

The Reverend Al Sharpton with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason seized the opportunity to raise a racist outcry that dominated the US  and world media, demanding justice, that the police officer and other white men accused in the rape be taken to trial. The three activists vocalized their hatred of whites on all the New York media and that caught on with world attention. They pointed to the police and white people in general as the enemy of all African-Americans. During this same period, Reverend Sharpton was under investigation for embezzling $450,000 dollars from the Downtown Boys Club of New York City.

After weeks of demonstrations, news began to leak that Tawana Brawley had changed her story. She had not been raped after all, but she said she suffered other abuse. The story changed because forensic evidence did not support her allegations. As the facts began to further unravel the disturbed 15 year old girl’s story, the truth began to emerge. Fighting the truth, Sharpton, Maddox and Mason became ever more vocal, accusing the “system” of cover up and injustice.

At the end of the day, the truth finally came forth. No one raped or abused Tawana Brawley. She had run away from home, had gone to her old neighborhood, and to hide her truth of running away from home she concocted the whole terrible tale. She covered herself with feces and wrote the racists slurs across her chest and stomach, tore her clothes and burned them, and then got in the trash bag.

This poor child just needed love and positive attention from her parents, the people who are supposed to love her. She was acting out, and in her sad lie the haters and race baiters caught America afire with hatred.

People who have nothing hate people who have something. It is called envy. It is called coveting. Greedy people who have great wealth draw the consternation of the masses who have little to nothing. It is a fact of humanity since Adam. Envy, coveting, greed, motivated Cain to slay his brother, Abel.

The riots in Ferguson, Missouri and the violence and protests across America have been ignited by hatred. Hatred by a very small minority of African-American people toward everyone who is not African-American. Not just white people, but Latino and Asian and other ethnicities included. They hate authority, and they identify authority as white. In truth, authority across America is of a multitude of ethnicities. Yet the mask of this authority is white.

These ugly, violent few use lies and emotion to strike at the hearts of good people who struggle and have little, and want a better life. They tell the people that they are subjugated and live in a world of injustice. They point to the people in power, and the hatred ignites racial hatred. Like a grassfire on a windy day, the flames of hatred spread, and the people hating do not even know why they hate.

Protesters protest authority, and point at the Police. The militant, racist, Gestapo police in their eyes. In truth, the Police are the good guys who are of all ethnicities and backgrounds, who are the sons and daughters of their community, and only seek to serve and protect the good people from the evil of violent crime that grows among the poorest of America.

Today is a very sad day for us all, watching the hate and protest. Hate and protest of what? Injustice? What injustice do they mean?

Several weeks ago, a young Latino man in Rocky Ford, Colorado was out late at night, and did something that incited a policeman to chase him home. Whatever happened, and those facts have not been made public because the investigation continues, caused the policeman to apparently lose his temper. When the Latino man ran inside his home, where members of his family waited for him, rather than stopping and calling for assistance and a warrant, the policeman kicked down the door. His gun drawn, the policeman then shot the unarmed Latino man in the back and killed him.

As the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has continued its search of the facts and testimony of witnesses, building evidence of fact in the matter, based on the evidence gathered thus far, the district attorney has charged the policeman with murder. What degree and what other charges may come to light have yet to come out, since the investigation continues.

This is Justice: People in lawful authority seeking the truth and acting within the law to enforce the Rule of Law and the United States Constitution. Most importantly, enforcing and exercising the Rule of Law and the Constitution without bias and equally to all citizens. Respecting the rights of the people, regardless of gender, age, origin or ethnicity.

What can We the People do today to stop the violence, stop the racism, stop the hatred? Very simply: Love One Another.

Today, as you go out. Tomorrow as you go out. Reach out to other people. Show them a smile. Offer a friendly word to strangers. Make them feel welcome, and loved.

An open heart and an open hand with a big, sincere smile can conquer all hatred.

 ©Copyright 2014 Charles W. Henderson 

by Charles Henderson

Jesus gave us one Commandment–Love one another.

John 13:34-35 (HCSB)
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.
35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

As such we should act toward all people with the Love that Christ commanded us. Gay and Lesbian people, like all people, must be treated with love and respect. Certainly equal rights.

Yet, when people demand that those rights violate God’s Law, I must stand with what God commands.

I know that God loves all of His children, and all of His children sin. That is why Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, died on the cross, taking all of the sins of mankind on His shoulders. Jesus’ death on the cross, and His resurrection fulfilled the Prophets and the Law.

Fulfilled means that Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but paid its debt for our sins. Therefore, we who believe in Jesus, who have Repented of our sins, who proclaimed Christ our Lord and Savior, are Justified by Christ’s sacrifice. Our sins are forgiven.

When we Repented of our sins and were thus Saved by God’s Grace for our Faith in Jesus Christ, a gift from God, and not from any good deeds that we may ever perform, we in turn strive to still live according to God’s Law, His will for us. We honor God by striving to live Righteously, and we do so because it is our nature as His believers. We live to please God.

What is a sin? Anything that we do that is against God’s will.

But when we fail in our striving to live righteously, and we all do fail, we are justified by Christ. In other words, forgiven. Because Christ fulfills the Law.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18 (HCSB)
17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.”

Jesus went on during His Sermon on the Mount to reiterate God’s Law, and to amplify it, such as with adultery. If a man lusts in his heart for a woman he has thus already committed adultery. And murder, if we do things that cause injury to our brothers, hate them or hold them in contempt, it is as good as murder. We must love, forgive and not judge.

No, God’s Law still stands, but we are justified when we fall short, as Paul said in Romans 3:23 (HCSB) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But followed in Romans 3:24-26 (HCSB)
24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
26 ⌊God presented Him⌋ to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.”

As Christians we continue to strive to live righteously, according to what Jesus said: Matthew 6:33 (HCSB)
33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

Therefore our faith is not believing in Jesus and being free to go out and freely commit sins as we like, and live in sin, but that when we repented of our sins and were born again in Christ, absolved of our sins, we strive to live according to God’s will. Live righteously.

Same sex marriage is an affront to God’s will, and His will is made clear in His Word. To compromise God’s Word is to reject it.

Thus in Matthew 19, Jesus describes marriage as a union between a man and a woman, for life. God makes the man and the woman one spiritual person And what God has joined together let no man separate:

Matthew 19:4-6 (HCSB)
4 “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created them in the beginning made them male and female,”
5 and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?
6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

Jesus was talking about a man and a woman, as God planned, and according to God’s Law. For man to sleep with man or woman to sleep with woman, or man to lay down with beasts remains an “abomination” to God.

We cannot be faithful to our commitment to Christ and CHOOSE to live in sin! When we sin, we are immediately sorry; we come to God in contrition and humility and bare our sins to Him, asking His forgiveness even though we are already forgiven. For us, sin is a moment of weakness, and we are sorry for it.

What happens when we knowingly choose to embrace sin in our lives, to live in a lifestyle that we know goes against God’s Law? A godless and unrighteous lifestyle? Not a slip of the tongue or a moment of weakness, temptation getting the best of us, but knowingly making a choice that we know is against God’s will, and choosing that lifestyle.
Here is what Paul wrote to the Romans when they knew of Jesus but choose to live the Roman lifestyles that included all forms of homosexual acts and open promiscuity. Paul writes what Faith in Christ requires and gives us, and what falling from that faith to godlessness and unrighteousness brings us:

Romans 1:16-32 (HCSB)
16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,
19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
24 Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
26 This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
27 The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong.
29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.
32 Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.”

Paul could well be writing about America today!

Considering what Paul writes in Romans 1, and especially in verses 27-32, how can any Christian church compromise what God commands and what is written in both the Old Testament and New Testament?
I am appalled at what the Presbyterian Church (USA) has done: First they have agreed to begin ordaining openly gay pastors and church leaders, people who choose to live in violation of God’s Word. Next they have chosen to embrace Same-Sex Marriage, which is clearly in violation of Scripture in both Old and New Testaments, as shown above, and in additional Scriptures than I cite here.

They become the Church of Laodicea, that Jesus describes and chides in Revelation 3:14-22. The compromised church. Lukewarm. Fallen away.

When we embrace godlessness and unrighteousness, and choose those over God’s will, then God gives us over to those degrading and dark lives, as Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-32. Such acts reject Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. To reject Christ sends us to hell.

I believe that all people should have equal rights and equal protection under the law, but I will not compromise my faith in God, reject my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and compromise my faith to accommodate sinful lifestyles or endorse them.

With the changes that I see in the world today, and the compromises of long-held Christian values and ethics, and now I see the compromises of Christian churches to embrace sin, I am left believing that the Day of Our Lord comes soon. In Revelation, when Jesus spoke to John and revealed to John the coming of the Son of Man and the Tribulation and the end of times, Jesus told of the apostasy of the church. The falling away of the church, compromising God’s will and accepting sin as righteousness.

Such is happening today. So I keep my eyes to the clouds, and I pray for my nation and our people.

 ©Copyright 2014 Charles W. Henderson 

Dedication–This story is dedicated to the memory of Continental Army Drummer Alexander Milliner, who served in General George Washington’s Lifeguard Unit. He lived past the age of one-hundred four years, and stood as witness to the surrender of the British at Yorktown. Likewise, to the memory of Continental Army Private Lemuel Cook, a boy like Milliner, just a year older, in fact. He stood by Milliner and watched as the British soldiers stacked their arms on an open field. General Washington ordered the Continental Army to not laugh or jeer at the surrendering Redcoats. Washington said, “It is bad enough to surrender without being insulted.”

Vision of Yorktown

A Short Story

By Charles W. Henderson

For the soldier pitched to battle, glory does not exist. For him there is only survival, sacrifice and tribute. In truth, glory is a false ideal born in the minds of poets and politicians.

 

The sun had not yet broken over the treetops that stood distant across the broad clearing when the boy struggled to the top of the parapet. Tears filled his eyes and his throat choked with the pain of grief, knowing well what his orders meant.

A drum hung at the boy’s waist by a strap that looped over his shoulder and bore the royal crest of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis’ army. When they had begun this fight, the strap had shown stark white across his uniform’s blue blouse; now it lay dark with black and brown stains that came from grease and soot of guns and cannons, and from tears and sweat and blood spilled in nine days of battle. Blood of soldiers who fell at the boy’s side. Good soldiers who tried to live; who the boy tried to help to live, but who died anyway. His tears, his sweat, their lives.

The drummer boy called Tom Scott, a good English name, from a family south of Kent, had accompanied Lord Cornwallis and his army of 8,300 Red Coats through much of this campaign that swept through the Carolinas, leaving a swath of destruction and death behind them, and settled in Virginia in May of 1781. By August, they had occupied the point of ground between the York and James rivers where Cornwallis hoped to establish a British naval base because of the York’s deep water and easy access to the Chesapeake Bay.

General George Washington and Lieutenant General Comte de Rochambeau, and their army of more than 17,600 French and American soldiers attacked Yorktown on October 9, after the French fleet had successfully turned away the British ships in the Chesapeake, leaving Cornwallis’ army cut off.

Washington’s Colonial Artillery bombarded Cornwallis’ forces for four days. Finally, on the night of October 14, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton led a small force of Continental soldiers on a surprise attack and began the land battle that turned the cleared farm fields below the parapet where drummer boy Tom Scott now stood into a crucible of flesh, bone and blood.

This morning of October 17, 1781, the crispness of fall in the wet air accented the sun which bled a sky filled with red that matched the crimson field below where young Tom stood. The crack of gunfire and the haunting cries of wounded and dying men stole any sense of peace that might have otherwise existed at that moment.

The lad’s uniform–a blue jacket and red trousers–which hung twisted and loose over his small, immature frame, had torn at most seams and bends, and across every panel of its woolen cloth carried dark stains from the battle. He had skinned his hide at most of his joints, and he ached as badly as any man twice his thirteen years of life. Yet as he began to rap two wooden sticks over the goat skin stretched across the head of his drum, beating out a signal that sent every British soldier’s heart sinking in final relief, he stood not as a boy but as a man. A soldier. A veteran of war. He felt what those who carried the muskets and fought the bayonet attacks and fell wounded under the exploding artillery shells felt: Beaten.

A dirty, bruised and scarred, battle-weary lad whose face had yet to show hair more coarse than a kitten’s stood at the top of the parapet, above his general and beside an officer who waived a white piece of cloth tied to his saber, and beat out the order to cease fire.

The fighting began to subside, and in the distance, as he continued to rap, rap, rap the loud but depressing signal from his drum, the boy could hear cheers shouted from the Colonial Army’s lines. For all of them knew that this battle, and this American Revolution had come to its end.

The boy stared straight out across the battlefield, his vision blurred by tears that tracked through the dirt that covered his face while the lieutenant at his side who waived the white cloth stepped down the front of the parapet and then stood at attention while two Colonial soldiers blindfolded the officer and led him away. The boy watched and continued to beat his drum as the men disappeared behind the distant trees to deliver Lord Cornwallis’ proposal to meet with Washington and discuss British surrender.

Yet despite the joy that this boy’s rap, rap, rapping on a goat-skin drum brought to the victors, and the significance that it meant, there still remains this mournful picture of a gaunt and dirty youngster, wearing a tattered uniform. He stands atop a parapet, beating his drum while below him, scattered across acres of tilled and cleared land lay the bodies of the dead and dying. Their blood filling the furrows. Their last gasps, moans and cries of pain, the music that accompanies the boy’s drum, reminds British, French and American alike that their’s is the price that has been paid for what has been gained and lost here.

As the sun turned from red to gold to yellow and the day grew bright, and the boy stepped from that parapet. As the last British soldier laid down his arms while his officers cried like school boys at the sight. As he sailed home, grew old and told of the war. And as generation after generation continued to tell of it, this vision of the last horrible moment of the last great battle of the American Revolution remains.

_____________

Copyright 1988 by Charles W. Henderson

By Charles Henderson

Today marks 50-years since President John Fitzgerald Kennedy died from two gunshot wounds from bullets fired by Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle. Oswald shot three times, missing once. That day in Dallas, Texas changed America forever. Sadness unlike any other in history shrouded the people of the United States and much of the world.

Where were you when Kennedy was killed? Maybe people asked that question after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination too. When a President means a lot to the people, the event of his murder etches itself indelibly in our minds. Where was I?

Artesia, New Mexico, one time-zone west of Dallas. I had celebrated my 15^th birthday on August 26, 1963, and we were now anticipating Thanksgiving holidays. I sat in the backseat of Tommy Burkhart’s 1958 Chevrolet Bel-Air two-door hardtop coupe. We roared down 13^th Street in Artesia, driving past Zia Junior High School, going to get lunch at Tommy’s house, listening to KBIM AM radio from Roswell, the nearest station that played rock-and-roll, when the news broke. President Kennedy has been shot.

Even unruly 15-year old boys’ hearts jumped. Stunned at the news. All us in that car, Tommy and me, Bill Mays and Wesley Jones, exclaimed our anguish. Even kids our age took the news hard. Deeply hurt.

A friend of mine said today, that during Kennedy’s time as President of the United States he liked most Democrats. I think that most people who vote conservative today, registered Republicans like Ronald Reagan, strongly supported John F. Kennedy. I know that I did. I loved him as our President. He had great courage and profound leadership, and when he spoke to the nation it was with grace and identity. We Americans knew him. He was one of us. We trusted him, and we revered him.

John F. Kennedy stood apart yet with us. A war hero, awarded the Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor. He had stood nose to nose against the Russians, holding America’s ground with unflinching courage and a determined will. He was America’s President.

Last Sunday, long-time CBS News correspondent and anchor, Bob Schieffer, commented that the day President Kennedy died America lost its innocence. I can appreciate that sentiment. The days of Kennedy were good days for many Americans. However, I have to disagree that it was the day that America lost its innocence. I believe that it was the day that America awakened to its ugliness.

Schieffer might call it innocence, but that is not it. We were oblivious to the pain that people suffered. In America there existed many different worlds, and while they overlapped, most people saw little past their own small world.

My world was safe. White people in a small New Mexico community. We never locked our doors. Everyone went to church on Sundays. Family values were strong. Innocence? Perhaps, but blind innocence. And were people really that blind? Or did they just have it good in the white middle class world and did not want those “other people” messing it up?

Yes, I remember those days quite well. If a person was white and middle classed, life was innocent and good. It seemed. Yet we had in the coal towns of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and western North Carolina and West Virginia the most abject of poverty one can imagine.

The coal companies enslaved these people, who owed their souls to the Company Store. Mostly white, uneducated and wretchedly poor. Coal companies paid their workers with Script, not cash. Script was only good at the Company Store. Life depended on the coal company. John F. Kennedy fought to break those chains of slavery. He fought to bring the Appalachian poor into the 20th Century. Part of his presidential campaign was fought on that impoverished ground. When Kennedy died, he had broken the company chains but left the people adrift and Lyndon B. Johnson did precious little to help them. Hardly anything innocent about the strife of those poor people.

In my innocence, I recall singing songs at grade school like “Old Black Joe,” and reading the classic Mark Twain novels, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In those unrevised editions we read in elementary school, Jim was not simply Jim but Nigger Jim. Aunt Polly’s slave that ran away, and Huck Finn went with him. While Mark Twain objected to slavery and wrote about Jim with great sympathy, he used the words, “Nigger” and “Negro” and “Nigra” and “Coloreds”  without second thought. And use of that objectionable word and associated words that causes such great pain and represents the most deplorable aspect of American history was common place in my young world too.

My mother taught me from birth that all people are God’s beloved children, regardless of color or birth. Jesus loves us all. All the little children.  She taught all of her children to see people as people, not us and them. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King spoke of a dream that reflected those ideals. I share his dream today. As a nation we could desire nothing greater.

I will never forget my first painful encounter with bigotry. In my hometown we had few people of African origin. My parents, as well as my Aunt Winnie and Uncle Owen Hensley had a strong friendship with one such African-American family. Billy and Lillie Belle Johnson. They had a son and two daughters, Billy Junior, Jo Ella and Amanda.  Billy worked at the school system as a custodian and Mrs. Johnson worked at various jobs. They were wonderful people. Gifted with wonderful musical talent. Jo Ella could sing like an angel.

My mother taught piano lessons, and had worked a trade agreement with Lillie Belle. Mrs. Johnson came to our home for piano lessons, and Amanda, who was my age, played with me in our backyard. We were small children and had a great friendship going. Until one day.

Some older boys who lived nearby saw Amanda in my backyard with me, and started calling her names. They made fun of her color. They threw rocks at both of us. I will never forget the pain I felt, and my anger, because it hurt little Amanda Johnson much worse than me. Horrible names to call such a sweet little girl. My playmate. My friend. It taught me a life-long lesson.

Mrs. Johnson stopped coming for piano lessons after that day.

I also recall at about that same time in my life, going to spend summers with my Grandmother Henderson. She lived in a small town in southern Oklahoma, surrounded by her sisters and other extended family of not just hers but my grandfather’s too. There were no black families in that small town. They were not accepted there. They had their town and the white people had our town.

Again, I was oblivious of it. I did not see the pain or poverty, secure in my white world. Yet, segregation became real to me one day as my grandmother and my Aunt Margaret, along with my cousin Ida Nell went shopping in Wichita Falls, Texas. There at Woolworth’s department store I went to get a drink from a water fountain. A store clerk stopped me and pointed to a sign above the fountain. It read, “Colored.” Then he led me to the other fountain that had a sign above it that read, “White Only.”

I began to notice more signs. Not just in Woolworth’s but everywhere in Wichita Falls. I asked my grandmother about it and she told me that’s just the way some people are. She reminded me that in the eyes of Jesus we are all the same. That’s the way we need to be, she said.

One of the greatest changes in America, a change that I believe made America better, were the first steps to break the walls of segregation that President Kennedy initiated.  He and his brother, the Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, heard the voice of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.

Under the leadership of President Kennedy, and carried forward after his death by Bobby Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson, the American people began to awaken to the ugliness and stupidity of racism and bigotry. It was not simply a matter of passing laws requiring Civil Rights, but a change in outlook and attitude drawn through the chaotic decades of the 1960s and 1970s.

When Kennedy died America’s innocence did not die. America was not innocent. America was complicit and blind. The changes that took place caused pain and upheaval.

Corporate greed took us to war in Viet Nam, and America bled and suffered even more in the division of the nation.

Sex, drugs, rock-and-roll undermined the strong system of family values, and damaged America to this day. No it was not the music, nor the free sex, nor even the illegal drugs themselves, but the attitudes that they bore with them, disregard of principles, loss of values and morals, and the increasing denial of God. Lies, deceit and personal greed prevailed, and took over every aspect of life, business and government.

Americans went to party and not to church. Divorce became easy and common.

A lot of goodness in America did die with President Kennedy, a victim of the awakening of America to its ugliness.

Today, we look around and see a much better America. Civil Rights have come light years ahead. Kennedy would be proud. Yet we have a long way to go in order to return America to its once high values where a family could leave the doors to its home unlocked without worry.

 ©Copyright 2013 Charles W. Henderson 

by Charles Henderson

Recently, one of my extended family members became angry with me, because I would not accept that in her church they had what I regarded a liberalized view of  God’s Scripture, adjusted to accommodate today’s accepted social values.

She took offense at me insisting that women serving in the pulpit and in other similar leadership capacities, such as deacons, in any church, was contrary to Scripture.

In our conversation, she asked me, “Don’t you believe that there are women perfectly capable of leading a church?”

I replied that it did not matter what I thought, or what she thought. The Bible tells us that women cannot lead a church. It says so in several verses of Scripture, but most clearly in 1 Timothy 2:12.

We had a few other differences of opinion and faith, which did not help. She is a mainstream Protestant, going to a church that reads prayers from a book, sprinkles babies for baptism, and has no Invitation in their services. I am an evangelical Christian. We do not baptize babies. Baptism follows a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance of all sin of the former life, and commitment to a new life in Christ, striving to follow His righteousness–Born Again, per John 3:3, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Baptism for my faith is full emersion in the water, just as Christ was baptized, representing the death of the old life and resurrection of new life in Christ. We adhere to the Bible, chapter and verse. For me, the Bible is God’s Word. Written by 40 different authors over 1,500 years time, each of them directly inspired by God, the Bible is without contradiction. It has no flaw, no error nor any conflict or contradictions because it is from a single source–God. His Word is Holy, and no part of it can be added to or taken away.

More moderate faiths allow for adjustments of the Bible, and they regard the Bible as an historical book of laws, prophesies and histories, but not living. In my faith, I believe that as I read the Bible, I am indwelt with the Holy Spirit–God–who speaks to me as I read His Word.

I am heartsick because this family member won’t talk to me. I have begged her forgiveness for hurting her feelings. I certainly did not intend to insult her faith, and I am sorry for hurting her. However, I cannot compromise what I believe, and what God’s Scriptures say.

When Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:12, that women should not teach or have authority over men, he was writing what God instructed him. Today, such a statement is strong kindling. But it is Scripture.

Like I said, I am evangelical Christian. I stand firm in my faith. It comes straight from the Bible, not from some adjusted doctrines softened by mankind to conform to our social traditions.

Sunday, at my church, I heard a sermon that underscored my position. Our associate pastor preached about Standing the Line for Christ. As a Marine, I know what Standing the Line means. We do not compromise our faith. We adhere to God’s Word and His commands. The sermon came in part from the Book of Isaiah, chapter five.

Isaiah 5:20-24 (HCSB)

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.
²² Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, who are fearless at mixing beer,
²³ who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
²⁴ Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will become like something rotten and their blossoms will blow away like dust, for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts, and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Our associate pastor posed us a question: How do you respond when a person asks you about your opinion of gay marriage? It is a controversial topic today. While most Christians do not support it, society pressures us to compromise.

Quite simply, my opinion of marriage has to do with my Christian faith, and I believe quite strongly that no government has any business dictating laws that address these matters of faith. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman before God, a pledge made to each other and to God. I think government has no business even defining marriage at all. My definition of marriage comes from my faith in God and His definition of it in the Bible.

I will also reassure the person who asks me about my view of gay marriage and homosexuality that God loves all people, including gay people. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are human, born into sin and we sin almost every day of our lives. If we are saved, born again in Christ, we strive to live in His righteousness.

I live according to my faith in Christ. Far from perfect, I strive to live righteously in God’s eyes. I still sin and fall short of His glory, but I try my best to serve Him and live in His way. Gay marriage, homosexuality, just as it is with adultery or lying, or coveting are not in keeping with living righteously in God’s way, therefore, I cannot support it.

But there are churches that now support homosexuality, gay marriage and other popular political and social trends. They have gay clergy. They perform gay marriage. They also have women church leaders. This stands in direct contradiction with God’s Word. Churches are compromising their doctrines of faith to accommodate the traditions of society–striving to please the politically correct rather than complying with the commands of God.

In the Book of Matthew, we see Jesus confront the scribes and Pharisees, who had accosted Jesus and His disciples for defiling their traditions by not washing their hands before eating. Jesus was quite blunt with them for breaking God’s commands in favor of their manmade traditions.

Matthew 15:1-9 (HCSB)

¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked,
² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat!”
³ He answered them, “And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?
⁴ For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, The one who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.
⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift  committed to the temple “—
⁶ he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have revoked God’s word because of your tradition.
⁷ Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:
⁸ These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
⁹ They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”

Compromising our faith today, in favor of political correctness is no different.

When I object to a woman serving as pastor or “bishop” of my church, or a woman serving as a deacon, the stand I take is not one of  bias against anyone, but of recognition of Scripture and living in faith with God’s Word. In 1 Timothy 2, verses 8 through 15, Scripture is unambiguous and very clear.

1 Timothy 2:8-15 (HCSB)

⁸ Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.
⁹ Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel,
¹⁰ but with good works, as is proper for women who affirm that they worship God.
¹¹ A woman should learn in silence with full submission.
¹² I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to be silent.
¹³ For Adam was created first, then Eve.
¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.
¹⁵ But she will be saved through childbearing, if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with good judgment.

Then in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 we read the qualifications of church leaders. The “overseer,” or the pastor, is to be the “husband of one wife.” Deacons should likewise be “husbands of one wife.”

1 Timothy 3:1-13 (HCSB)

¹ This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.”
² An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,
³ not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy— ⁴ one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity.
⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?)
⁶ He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil.
⁷ Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.
⁸ Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,
⁹ holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
¹⁰ And they must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.
¹¹ Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.
¹² Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.
¹³ For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

To cite 1 Timothy 2:12 today calls for arguments from many people. It will draw strong reactions from the politically correct.

Yet, the two books of Timothy are as much of the New Testament Scripture as Matthew or John, or any of the other epistles of Paul. Do we discount what Paul wrote to Timothy because we disagree, and believe that women can be pastors and deacons? God’s Word says, no.

Likewise, 1 Peter 3 addresses how husbands and wives should live. And tells wives to submit to their husbands, and that husbands should live with their wives with understanding and honor as coheirs of the grace of life. Is that wrong today too? A wife submitting to her husband is not popular in many marriages today.

I subscribe to following God’s Holy Scripture, period. If people disagree with me, so be it. I am assured of my belief with what Peter wrote of being an eyewitness of Christ. Peter knew Jesus, walked on the water with Jesus, and saw Jesus die on the cross and then live again. Jesus forgave Peter for his denying Christ three times during the trial of Jesus. He charged Peter, in John 21:15-19 to shepherd and feed His sheep, and to “Follow Me.” Peter saw Christ ascend into heaven, and heard the two angels say (Acts 1:11), “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven,” assuring us of Christ’s return in this same way. Thus I have no doubts, and I stubbornly adhere to the path of Christ shown to me by Scripture.

2 Peter 1:16-21 (HCSB)

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!
¹⁸ And we heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain.
¹⁹ So we have the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
²⁰ First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation,
²¹ because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

If we compromise our churches to accommodate the traditions of our society, are we now bowing to the false prophets and evil teachers that Peter warns us about in 2 Peter 2?

2 Peter 2:1-22 (HCSB)

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.
² Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them.
³ They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation,  pronounced  long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
⁴ For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment;
⁵ and  if  He didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly;
⁶ and  if  He reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to ruin, making them an example to those who were going to be ungodly;
⁷ and  if  He rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the unrestrained behavior of the immoral
⁸ (for as he lived among them, that righteous man tormented himself day by day with the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
⁹ then  the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
¹⁰ especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold, arrogant people! They do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones;
¹¹ however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord.
¹² But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—speak blasphemies about things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed,
¹³ suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions as they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery and are always looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse!
¹⁵ They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness
¹⁶ but received a rebuke for his transgression: A donkey that could not talk spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s irrationality.
¹⁷ These people are springs without water, mists driven by a whirlwind. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them.
¹⁸ For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error.
¹⁹ They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.
²⁰ For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first.
²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.
²² It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “a sow, after washing itself, wallows in the mud.”

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus speaks to us, assuring us of His promise. We must be watchful of the dogs who invade our churches, and must adhere to God’s own Scripture as our lamp. Hear the words of our Lord Jesus, and follow Him.

Revelation 22:12-17 (HCSB)

¹² “Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has 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, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.”
¹⁷ Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

 ©Copyright 2013 Charles W. Henderson 

By Charles Henderson

Had President Barak Obama, who professes himself a Christian, spent more time in Sunday School and Bible Study, rather than showing up in church for a little face time and ticket punching, he would understand what most Christians and Jews have long known about Israel, and that nation’s position on the disputed territories along the “West Bank” of the Jordan River, which are largely populated by Palestinians. As the very gifted foreign affairs scholar and newsman Arnaud de Borchgrave points out in his latest commentary posted at UPI.com, “Obama’s Gordian Knot,” http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Analysis/de-Borchgrave/2013/03/25/Commentary-Obamas-Gordian-Knot/UPI-19101364209300/  President Obama’s proposal would work if Israel was Belgium and the West Bank was Luxembourg.

Israel’s position in the matter—a dispute with the nation of Jordan, and the Palestinian people, over territory rather than an occupation of conquered lands from the 1969 Six Day War—is drawn from the Tanakh (or Tanach) the Jewish Holy Scriptures, Prophets and Law, written more than three-thousand years ago, and promises made more than five thousand years ago.

The Israeli claims of the West Bank lands, and other adjoining territories, come directly from the Torah, the five books of Moses, and several of the books contained in the Books of the Prophets, Navi or Nevi’im: Yehoshua (Joshua), Shoftim (Judges), Shmuel I and II (I and II Samuel), Melachim I and II (I and II Kings), Yeshayahu (Isaiah), Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah), Yechezkel (Ezekiel) and Zechariah. These are the lands given to Israel by God, for eternity. A claim of land rights that date back more than five-thousand years, when God made His covenant with Abraham, repeated with Isaac and Jacob, and again three thousand years ago when Yehoshua (Joshua) led God’s People across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Among those lands were Canaan, Judea and Samaria—the West Bank territories. A brief description comes in the last book of the Torah, Book of Devarim or D’varim, which is called Deuteronomy in the Christian Bible.

Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (HCSB)

⁶ 　”The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb: ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷ 　Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the Judean foothills, the Negev and the sea coast—to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River. ⁸ 　See, I have set the land before you. Enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their future descendants.’

In Chapter 15 of the Book of Bereshit (Genesis), God first made His covenant with Abraham, whose descendants grew into the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.

Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, by his wife, Sarah’s servant, Hagar, and Isaac, by his wife, Sarah. Before Ishmael was born, God had told Hagar:

Genesis 16:12 (HCSB)

¹² 　This man will be like 　a　wild　donkey. His hand will be against　everyone, and everyone’s hand will　be against　him; he will live at　odds with　all his　brothers.

God instructed Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness to live, where Ishmael became a hunter and great archer. Ishmael had twelve sons that became twelve tribes in the Arabian lands, and gave birth to Islam.

Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob, twins. Esau emerged from Rebekah first, followed by Jacob, who held onto Esau’s heel. Although born second, Jacob won Isaac’s inheritance by scheming and manipulation of a near-blind father and help of a doting mother, Rebekah. But Jacob was chosen by God to be His Nation, and thus God re-named Jacob, Israel. Jacob had twelve sons by three wives, among whom was Joseph, one of two sons born of Rachael, the other being Benjamin. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, yet rose to great power. Famine brought Israel (Jacob) and his sons and their families to Egypt, where they lived among the House of Joseph in the land of Goshen.

According to the Book of Shemot (Exodus, Chapter 1), with the death of the King of Egypt, the Pharaoh who knew and held high regard for Joseph, the new King took the Children of Israel and placed them into forced labor. For more than four hundred years, the Children of Israel (the families and descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons—The Twelve Tribes of Israel) suffered under abject poverty and slavery in Egypt.

Moses was a descendent of Jacob, born in the House of Levi, a Hebrew. At the time of Moses’ birth, Pharaoh had decreed that all male children born to Hebrew mothers should be thrown into the Nile, and only the daughters of Hebrews would live. Moses’ mother hid him for three months, but keeping him hidden became impossible, so she made a reed basket, coated it with tar, and set it at the edge of the Nile water. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, saw he was beautiful, and sent her slave to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. They found Moses’ mother, and she raised Moses to a weaning age, then he was given to Pharaoh’s daughter as her son. She named him Moses—from the water—because she drew him out of the water.

Moses grew to manhood, and did not like seeing the oppression of the Hebrew people. One day he killed an Egyptian taskmaster. This angered Pharaoh, and he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled to Midian where he became a shepherd, married and had a son, Gershom. God called Moses from the “burning bush,” and instructed Moses to return to Pharaoh and lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, to a land that God would give His chosen people, Israel, for the rest of time.

Exodus 6:2-11 (HCSB)

² 　Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am Yahweh. ³ 　I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not reveal My name Yahweh to them. ⁴ 　I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners. ⁵ 　Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant. ⁶ 　”Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. ⁷ 　I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. ⁸ 　I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.” ⁹ 　Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor. ¹⁰ 　Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ¹¹ 　”Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land.”

Moses led God’s people, the Children of Jacob, who He had named, Israel, out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the Law, and instructed Moses on how to build God’s Tabernacle and the Arc of the Covenant. After years of wandering, and forty years of waiting, Yehoshua (Joshua) led the Children of Israel into their Promised Land.

Included in this land was the east bank of the Jordan, which the children of Benjamin occupied, and all of the lands to the west as far as they could see, including Judea and Samaria, which is the West Bank: The lands Israel holds under dispute with the Palestinian state and the King of Jordan.

After World War II, the Jewish people returned to the lands of their birthrights. The lands promised to them by God, promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all their decedents for all of time. What the Children of Israel received was a small fraction of that land, and only a partial stake in the Holy City of Jerusalem, the most sacred place on earth for all Christians and Jews.

Thus when Mr. Borchgrave writes in his commentary: “Ending its colonization and military occupation of the West Bank to make room for an independent Palestinian state is anathema to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his new coalition government.” That is no understatement. For Israel, this is the land of Judea and Samaria, given to them by God. And only God can take this land from them.

Today, more and more world powers call for Israel to surrender the West Bank, to give the Palestinian people a homeland there. Within that land is Jerusalem, Zion, the home of David, the Temple to God built by Solomon, the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, and the tomb from where He arose. It is the city that the people of Israel call their capitol. It is within Jerusalem that the very soul of Israel resides. Bethlehem, the place of Christ’s birth, also lies in this disputed land.

For people of Faith in God and in Jesus Christ to surrender this land, given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for all time, a Covenant that dates back five-thousand years, is no less than if the nation of Italy decided to kick the Pope out of Vatican City, take it over, and use it for a housing development for Muslims.

Simply put, the West Bank of the Jordan is not an option for a separate nation for the Palestinian people. A less important land, perhaps on the east side of the Jordan River, would do much better.

 ©Copyright 2013 Charles W. Henderson 

by Charles Henderson

It is interesting to consider that Hawaii has the fewest murders of any state in the USA, with 7 murders in 2011, of which one murder was committed with a firearm, a rifle, and the six remaining were committed with knives or other odd weapons or no weapons at all. Yet ask the average American who watches TV and Hawaii Five-0, one of televisions more popular shows, and they will consider that Hawaii is right up there with plenty of gun violence. They do sling a lot of lead on Hawaii Five-0. The point is that much of America’s hand-wringing over violent crime is media driven.

Comparing states and their murder numbers, weapons used, and population is also interesting. Iowa compares closely with Colorado and Oklahoma with unrestrictive gun laws. The three states have low population density given area of land and are fairly comparable in total population, Iowa 3.1 million, Oklahoma 3.8 million and Colorado 5.2 million people. Interestingly, Oklahoma leads with homicides at 204, firearms accounting for 131 of those murders. Colorado is next with 147 homicides, of which firearms accounted for 73 of the murders. Then comes the state of Iowa with only 44 murders, of which 19 were committed with firearms.

All three states are consistent with the national average of 67 percent of homicides committed with firearms. Yet Colorado, with the greatest population, nearly two-million more people than Oklahoma, has fewer murders than Oklahoma. Iowa with a near comparable population to Oklahoma has a fraction of the number of homicides, only 44 committed in the year 2011.

Gun laws in Iowa are less restrictive than most states, and compare well with Colorado and Oklahoma. So, why is gun violence so much less in Iowa than Oklahoma and Colorado, and much less than the national averages? The US Census Bureau may hold some answers.

Average annual median household income for Colorado is $49,863.00 per year. Median household income in Iowa is $50,451.00. Oklahoma median household income is significantly less with $44,287.00. Both Iowa and Colorado have comparable median household income, but Oklahoma is more than $5-thousand dollars a year less. This might be a clue to the significantly greater percentage of murders in Oklahoma. And, as I said, gun laws of the three states are much the same, unrestrictive with no registration required anywhere.

In Iowa, 85 percent of the people have lived in the same household for more than one year, and 90.3 percent of the population graduated high school, with 25 percent graduating college. Iowa’s population is 93 percent “white” with 3 percent “black” and 5 percent “Latino.” More than 73 percent of people in Iowa own their own homes.

In Colorado, 81 percent of the people have lived in the same household for more than one year, and 89.7 percent of the population graduated high school, with 36 percent graduating college. Colorado’s population is 88 percent “white” with 4.3 percent “black” and 21 percent “Latino.” Nearly 69 percent of people in Colorado own their own homes.

In Oklahoma, 81 percent of the people have lived in the same household for more than one year, and 85.9 percent of the population graduated high school, with 23 percent graduating college. Oklahoma’s population is 75.8 percent “white” with 7.7 percent “black” and 9.2 percent “Latino.”Nearly 68 percent of people in Oklahoma own their own homes. Nearly 9 percent of Oklahoma’s population reports that they are “American Indian.” Iowa has only one-half of one percent, and Colorado has 1.6 percent.

The telling difference between Oklahoma, Iowa and Colorado is the median household income, with Oklahomans earning more than $5-thousand dollars a year less than Colorado or Iowa, and nearly $8-thousand dollars a year less than the US national average. Does this equate to more murders?

West Virginia is $5-thousand dollars a year less than Oklahoma’s median household income, with $39,550.00 per household, but only 74 murders took place in West Virginia in 2011, of which 43 involved firearms. Education wise, West Virginia falls behind Oklahoma, Colorado and Iowa, but in racial demographics compares with Iowa. Population of West Virginia is just less than 2 million people.

What the US Census Bureau and FBI do not tell us is which states have strong family values. Which states have the most people going to church on Sunday? Perhaps that may have more bearing on commissions of violent crime and murder than anything else.

But in the end, murder by firearm for most states is a small number compared to greater population. Is gun control really a priority, or is it a political hot topic and high agenda item for greater, other objectives that have nothing at all to do with violent crime by guns?

 ©Copyright 2013 Charles W. Henderson