Life Now

As we approach the end of 2022, what I refer to as our Blip seems largely like a memory to most. Not for me, though. I have realized lately that I am like someone who has been forever changed by, and cannot move past, a recent abuse. Over the past few years I have expected much I did not see or receive and have seen/received much I never would have expected, and it has changed me. I have been processing something that is just now starting to crystalize.

As a person of color living in America, I haven't truly felt safe since college. Unlike many people of color, however, I've never been part of a community where I did feel safe, especially to discuss such things. I have, over the past few decades, been part of a community where (I realize now) I told myself I was safe; not to discuss such things of course, but at least safe from overt attacks. I no longer have even this "refuge," as I no longer feel safe even there.

I've also realized a fundamental change in how I see America; I see two types of people. There are those who, frankly, want essentially what Hitler wanted, and then there's everyone else. The first group either forgets or denies the true origins and history of this "great" nation and seems to honestly believe a slew of things that would be laughable if they weren't all so dangerous. Oh, and I happen to live in the part of my city that is populated mostly by people in this group.

(The benefit-of-the-doubt part of me still wants to defend some of these folks, telling myself that they are "just blissfully ignorant and are only thinking about the financial side of things, especially for themselves; and, while this is certainly still grotesquely self-centered, it's not really hate and $&^%$# supremacy, right?!" This excuse doesn't really work any more, though.)

My wife has been watching "The Watcher" and today I saw some of episode two. There is a scene where Naomi Watts' character talks about how angry she is at what's happening to them, saying, "Is that what we should be telling our kids? That if somebody terrorizes us we just let them?" I choked on and nearly spit out my soup...and then said, "Welcome to Black America, sister!" I wasn't trying to be funny.

But of course it's not just Black America; it's Everyone-but-one-specific-demographic (or their cohorts and wannabes) America. My wife just finished watching "The US and the Holocaust" on PBS and I was in the room for the last 30 minutes of the last episode. It ended an hour ago and I have been crying or trying not to cry since. It is the definition of "profound" in what it conveys and how. It's not easy to watch, but I recommend it to everyone. Trust me, it's not just what you've seen or heard before!

Anyway...I find it cathartic to write out what I'm feeling, to share it, and to receive encouragement from the few who will send some. (Thank you in advance, by the way!! I pretty much know who you are at this point lol, and it means more than you probably realize.) I'm done now, though. Back to processing, navigating, and figuring out where to go from here and how to get there....

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The Westernization Of God

Do you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ...or the Gospel of The West?

There are things I have believed my entire Christian life which simply are not true. Below are just a few of them.

Vision

Without vision, the people perish....

 - Proverbs 29:18

This passage has been used for decades to support the concept that God calls us to dream for Him and have dreams for our own lives. He does not. This is a Western concept, not at all what God had in mind. The word translated here as "vision" actually refers to divine revelation; in other words, without hearing from God (e.g., the Bible for us today), the people perish.

Hopes and goals are great. Set grounded goals and faithfully go after them, for God's glory. If, though, you insist on "having a dream for your life," you just don't get to get upset with God or lose faith if it doesn't work out. You have no Biblical guarantees of dreams coming true regarding relationships, career, where you live, or anything else earthly.

(Fortunately, in this case, even the NIV has recently been updated to reflect a more accurate translation: "Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.")

My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

 - Isaiah 55:8

This passage is used so often to convey things like, "well, there's no telling why this is happening in my/your life, cuz you know, God's ways aren't our ways." That is not what it's about. Contextually, God is explaining why He will have mercy on those who turn back to Him, as opposed to the typical human ways of not showing mercy or having grace.

Can this be applied more broadly? Possibly. We need to be cautious (!), though, when trying to use Scripture for something other than its original intent.

Plans For Your Future

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 - Jeremiah 29:11

Oh boy. So, some promises are universal (all followers for all time) and some are for the specific audience at that time. Unfortunately, this is one of the latter. God makes other promises for all of us that could, maybe be argued to amount to this to some degree, but quite simply we have no Biblical guarantees of earthly prosperity, ease, or anything else of that nature.

Turning The Other Cheek

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

- Matthew 5:39

Used to teach people that we should not resist, physically or otherwise, when someone is trying to hurt or harm us, this is not at all what the original hearers took from it. In that culture, there is a big difference between your right and left hands. One is used for all things clean, the other for the unclean. If someone struck you, they were obviously in the wrong, regardless of station or status. Forcing them to strike you a second time with the unclean hand by turning your head, though, put them on display in a far more humiliating and taboo way.

Where You Live

From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live.

 - Acts 17:26

This has been used to teach that God chooses where we live (i.e., exact address) and when. It actually refers to the times and places God determined for entire peoples, i.e., cultures and nations throughout history. Fortunately, this translation too has been updated: From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

Nationalism/Patriotism

"God bless America."

Yeah, no. Jesus/God is apolitical, at best. God loves, works for, and fights for America no more than He does any other temporary human organization. We are not His people any more than anyone else (the Hebrews were for a while, but we never were). You literally cannot serve both "God and country" (same as Money); one must come first.

"Conclusion"

All I have attempted to do here is present the truth (these are just some examples) with some suggested places to start digging (below). I do this, and in this way, for three reasons:

1. By misunderstanding, misusing, and misrepresenting the word of God, we set ourselves and others up for possibly years of frustration and wasted time;
2. Once you fully embrace the fact that the Scriptures were written to a vastly different audience and culture and that this matters, you begin a journey of discovery and re-discovery that brings them to life more than ever before; and,
3. I am in no way qualified to try to lead you on this journey.

I pray you take the challenge and dig deep. I pray too that you find the same joy, depth, and new life that I have only begun to find!

Resources:

• https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/-1
• https://www.douglasjacoby.com/
• https://www.malcolmcox.org/
• https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/about
• https://www.athensinstitute.org/

I Have Decided

 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?”
 - Mark 14:17-19

Jesus loved Judas so well that even after living together for three years, none of his other disciples even had a hint that it was Judas who would betray Him!

What is the hardest part and truest test of being a follower of Jesus? I think it may just be choosing, as often as needed(!), to fight the good fight to love people the way Jesus loved Judas.

This does not always mean striving to maintain friendships; after all, Jesus had his 12 but He also had his three, and Judas was not part of the three (Peter, James, and John). This does mean loving sincerely and deeply from the heart (1 Peter 1:22), even if it can only be from a distance (Romans 12:18).

I decided to follow Jesus almost 30 years ago, and these past 2.5 have easily been the hardest. But I'm sticking with my decision, no matter what. I have decided, again...and I will keep on deciding!

I mean...in view of His life, love, example, and sacrifice, how could I not?!

Help Me Understand Please

 

We have lived with rules like this for decades. Why, now that society at large has decided to trust science and accurately teach history, are we suddenly hearing cries of losing our rights and freedoms?

Is it because you don't like or agree with the new rules?

Is that what makes something unconstitutional?

Some might call that ignorant.

Some might call that patriotic.

Some might call that privilege.

What do you call it?

What I Need To Do

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
 - 1 Peter 2:23

How did He do that?!

There's also this:

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame....

 - Hebrews 12:2

HOW DID HE DO THAT?!?!

Here's what I think:

Jesus didn't let what people thought, believed, said, or did affect Him...and I think I may have figured out how:

1. He knew His destiny.

2. He focused on how it all affected them.

Jesus knew that no matter what anyone else thought, believed, said, or did, His destiny was secured. Totally and completely unaffected.

Jesus also knew that everything that others thought, believed, said, or did absolutely affected them; and, that was His focus.

I need to imitate this.

Allegiance

My church preached a series a while back on allegiances. Frankly, I feel the mark was largely missed, primarily due to beating around the bush; but, it did make me think...:

al·le·giance

/əˈlējəns/

noun

loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.

"those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic"

Can a true follower of Christ have an allegiance to any earthly organization?

Can one be a devoted Democrat and a disciple of Jesus?

Can one be a devoted Republican and a disciple of Jesus?

Can one be a devoted member of a certain denomination or church* and a disciple of Jesus?

 - *Earthly church organization, not Christ's true church.

What about our race, ethnic, or other identity group?

Antifa? Patriot? BLM?

And so on....

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

 - Matthew 6:24

 

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

  - 2 Timothy 2:4

I believe the biblical answer is, no: we cannot claim to be a Christian and swear loyalty to any earthly organization, political or otherwise. Why? Simple: because no earthly organization is truly and completely loyal to Christ.

We can be members of things, or take healthy pride in our heritage/identity, but when our earthly allegiances start to be the priority in how we think, decide, and act, we are in serious danger on many levels, not the least of which is from horribly misrepresenting the One we claim to hold dearest.

As one pastor put it, "We cannot be ambassadors of a [heavenly] kingdom if we are advocates for a political ideology."

We owe it to God and all our "hearers" to examine ourselves, honestly.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

 - 2 Corinthians 13:5

What's It All About?

Members of my church would (hopefully, anyway! LOL) agree that if someone willfully continues to lust, they are in danger of throwing away their salvation. Or if they willfully continue to steal. Or if they continue to ignore the plights of the poor and oppressed...

Wait a minute...actually, they wouldn't agree on that last one, would they? And why not?

I believe it's because of how and what we have -- and have not -- been taught over the years. It's a simple matter of training and conditioning.

It's not that we haven't read Scriptures like Hosea 12:6, Amos 5:15, Matthew 12:18, or Luke 11:42 (though, if we're being totally honest, OT verses are read FAR less frequently than NT); it's that we gloss over them. All organizations have their focal points and we have been no exception. We have all been asked countless times questions like

• How are your Quiet Times?
• How's your purity?
• How's your giving (i.e., money to the church)?
• Have you "shared your faith" today?

Let's face it: our historical focal point boils down to growing the church (we call it other things, like "making disciples," but at the end of the day....). When was the last time someone asked you about your serving the poor or working for justice??

Being a true Christian boils down to one thing, and it's not What Would Jesus Do? We KNOW what Jesus would do: He would do whatever God wanted Him to (Luke 22:42)! So the question -- what it's all about -- is this: What does God want? And not just some of His will (what humans in temporary leadership positions choose to focus on), all of it!

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“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."

 - Matthew 21:31-32