Category Archives: WordCrave

Christmas is coming.  The most wonderful time of the year.  As the spirit of Christmas takes hold we become more festive.  Carolers singing from house to house. Attending holiday parties where we gobble up goodies and treats.  And the beautiful ornaments and decorations that fill living rooms and cover homes around the world.

There really is nothing like Christmas Day at any other time of the year.  I remember growing up my mom had several countdown calendars that would rile us up as children with each day that got knocked off drawing us closer to that expectant day.  These days, we are bombarded from every outlet and commercial reminding us that there are “X shopping days left till Christmas.” In fact, what other holiday can compare to Christmas’ hold over July to warn us that the Day is only six months away?  So it is perfectly safe to conclude that there is no other date on our calendar that can lay claim to being so clearly seen as the day approaches. (Hebrews 10:25, 1 Thessalonians 5:5)

And why not? Have you seen the decorations we put up?  Twinkling lights (1 Corinthians 15:52) that encircle the fir tree winding round as they converge in unison upon the Star at the top(1 Thessalonians 4:17, Colossians 1:18).  The Christmas tree really is one of the most beautiful moments of the Day.

We all know what Christmas is about–at least we think we do.  It is the day we celebrate the birth of our Messiah and Savior Jesus Christ to the virgin Mary.  By now, most of us already know Jesus very likely was not born on December 25th–which really begs the question: whose male birth are we celebrating if not Christ’s? Because Jesus’ birth is not the only picture of a woman travailing in birth to a male son who will rule all the nations with an iron rod.  (John 16:21, Revelations 12:2, Hosea 13:13, Micah 5:3, Galatians 4:27, Isaiah 13:8, Jeremiah 13:21, Jeremiah 22:23, Jeremiah  30:6, 49:24, Isaiah 21:3, Isaiah 26:17-18, Jeremiah 4:31, Micah 4:9, Matthew 24:8, Mark 13:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:3, Romans 8:22), and many of those images fail to represent the events surrounding his birth.

The earliest mention of Christians celebrating Christmas day was back in 336 A.D., which is quite some time after Jesus answered the Jews that it was not for them to know the day or the hour in regards to when “all these things” would happen.  And they did not know it. After all, what did any of them know of Christmas day before 336 A.D.? It would simply have registered as a day to celebrate the winter solstice–a very pagan idea for Jews. So no, Israel did not know the Christmas day Jesus spoke of, nor would they for quite some time until after the Church agreed to begin celebrating his birth on that date.  But the Jews know it now, even if nobody understands it, because almost 1700 years later Christians still celebrate Christmas–and have even managed to rope much of the gentile world into the holiday as well.

So let me ask an interesting question: If Christmas day is not the day of Christ’s actual birth, then what are the spiritual implications of the entire Church body coming together in agreement in the name of Christ to celebrate a woman giving birth to a male child? (Matthew 18:19-20).  I mean, this is not a one time event. We do it every year. Annually, like clockwork, we gather together in churches on Christmas eve, we throw our Christmas pageants and holiday choir presentations, and many Christian families gather their children together on Christmas day to read the story of Jesus’ birth.  Pastors share the Christmas message. Families that only go to church twice a year show up for this service. This is so much more than just a custom–it is part of our identity and serves as an agreement among us. So if Jesus’ claims are to be believed, what is the Father’s part ensuring that that this agreement be fulfilled?

Now, I suppose someone will throw down the challenge that this is not the Church’s place to decide these things, but then, was it ever really the Church’s idea in the first place?  After all, this is far too clever a fete to give the Church credit for. If we’re going to hold anyone accountable for staging this, there is really only one person that indwells the Church, that is capable of pulling something like this off.  (Hint: John 14:26)

And that is very much like my God, shrewd towards those who are devious. (Psalms 18:26)  Hiding His great day out in the open, in plain sight, right under everyone’s nose.

I suppose someone else will object that Christmas day is not found anywhere in the scriptures, as though the Jewish texts written by a people of Jewish identity have any part in the redemptive promise for that great day(they do not).  That day is solely for the Church. And while the Church is composed of many people, including those who are themselves Jewish, the Church is also predominantly Gentile, but now we are neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28) so it would be terribly inappropriate to bind a day designed for the non-Jew, non-Gentile Church to a feast day known by the Jews(Matthew 24:36, Matthew 25:13, Act 1:6-7)–would you not agree?  And you know what else you will not find spelled out in the Old Testament? The Church; yet here we are.

But there is so much more to Christmas!  Have you ever noticed all those wonderful gifts we place at the foot of the gloriously, beautiful Christmas tree?  What about the wonderful gift of eternal life found at the foot of the gloriously, beautiful tree upon which our Savior was crucified to redeem us from the Law of sin and death?  (Romans 6:23). And what does that fir tree wear upon its ordinary body if not twinkling lights (1 Corinthians 15:52) entwined like a vine leading up through the branches to the bright Bethlehem star at the top.  What other picture could there be on this side of that Day for the Saints gathered together to meet our Lord in the clouds? (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

And how could we possibly forget Santa?  Sure, he was once based on a saint who did good deeds for the poor, but look at what he has become today.  What clearer picture do we need of a magical thief coming in the night hitting the homes of every child in the span of one night to bring gifts to all the good boys and girls, but only dead coal for the bad ones?

There is just one problem: Santa is nowhere to be found in the Bible! (2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Revelations 16:15, Revelations 3:3, Matthew 24:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, Luke 12:39)  Santa is very much a commercialized Gentile idea propagated to undermine the meaning of Christmas by stealing the show from the real hero of the story: Jesus Christ. So Santa cannot possibly be used to bless the Church in any way–much like a donkey cannot possibly be made to give good advice to a Gentile gone astray(Numbers 22), or much like that same Gentile cannot be made to bless the very Jews he was hired to curse.  (Numbers 23-24). I mean after 2 Chronicles 20 I think we can all agree that the Holy Spirit is a master of turning the tables in his favor; and blessing the Church, the body of Jesus Christ, is very much his favor.

Having laid out the bulk of my evidence, it is time to paint a complete picture:

Like actual characters in a story authored by God, we have been painfully oblivious to the obviousness of what is literally right in front of us this whole time.  Every single year we celebrate a thing we have not understood, but when that moment comes, the day will be beyond obvious to everyone. Christmas day will become more clear than it has ever been.  That the day we celebrated was indeed about the birth of a male child–just that while we were focused on the head we completely forgot about the body. That the Holy Spirit inspired the Church to coordinate the day of the world’s disaster by celebrating the very moment that those who rejected Christ would be completely undone.

See it:  Christmas day, families and friends gathered around the Christmas tree, and then, in the twinkling of a Christmas light twinkling in our eye, we are gone.  Those that hated Christmas and made war on it by removing Christ from Christmas to call it X-Mas, to have Nativity scenes removed from public places, Christmas banned from schools and our children’s vocabulary restricted from honoring Christ on this celebrated day of his birth will finally get what they demanded: no Christ in Christmas.  But that will also mean, no Holy Spirit in Christmas, including no Christians on Christmas, which leaves Christmas as this gutted, hollowed out husk of a shell empty of all the wonder, delight, love, joy, and peace that reigns over this holiday season. What once brought songs of joy will bring mourning and grief to those who chose the material gifts under the Christmas Tree over the eternal gift of life under the crucifixion tree.  When the houses and homes of those who have been taken are investigated, ransacked, and cleaned out the symbols of this season will remain as painful reminders of the choices those who are left behind received in their unbelief. They will still have the gifts they exchanged–idols of stone, wood, plastic and cloth that boldly mock the hollowness of what they have chosen next to the gift we, who are with our Lord, have received.

And for Israel, it will be like a blow to the gut.  (Jeremiah 30:6) The day they did not know, because it was not Jewish.  The Savior they rejected, because he was not what they expected. To perform a sign and wonder as great as the Great Day of the Lord on a day clearly not Jewish in any way shape or form, and so clearly Christian in every way shape and form, will speak of God’s rejection of the Jewish people for their rejection of His son Jesus Christ and wildly stir up such jealousy that their only hope is to set things right by seizing what was their heritage and making amends the only way they know how.

It is singularly the most clever snare the whole of human history has ever encountered.  Having laid the groundwork 1700 years earlier in full public view, such that nobody suspected what was really being done, only to celebrate the very day for 1700 years following with nobody ever suspecting otherwise.  It is genius ultimate. It is the plot twist only befitting God’s story for us. And like all characters, in all stories, throughout all the ages–we did not see it coming until the climax was already upon us.

But the day of their sorrow will be the day of my joy fulfilled.  For it is the day when the only gift that I ever ever desired, ever wanted, will finally be had.  It is the day that I will be with the one I love; the one who loved me so much that he chose to die painfully to redeem me.  To finally be with him and know that I will never again be separated from him. To never know or have a reason to taste sorrow, loss, pain, hurt, or any other form of death ever again.  To be forever in the presence of the mastermind and creator of all existence. That is a gift that makes all the Apple iPads, new smartphones, desktop computer games, new vehicles, new houses, new boats, new clothes, jewelry, and toys fade away and pale by comparison.  It turns a day I have not really looked forward to in so many years into a day that causes my heart to kick for joy like a newborn about to meet the new world outside. All the excitement and wonder I knew in my childhood for Christmas day has been revived over the past few weeks: the lights, the color, the very Christmas songs we sing all testify to me of the day that is coming, that is nearly upon us and the countdown for it begins most appropriately with that twelve day countdown we had in our home as children.

I am not saying that I know anything.

But I am saying that Christmas is coming.

And there is not a thing, in all creation, that anybody can do to stop it.

Merry Christmas

Recently, I have begun using my FSA account for medical purchases.  I have learned that it does not matter how appropriate my transactions may be under the IRS guidelines, they still want detailed proof that I did not use my money on something other than a legitimate medical expense.

This is not the only time the IRS has challenged me on the use of my own money.  In 2013, I received a letter from the IRS challenging my use of funds from an HSA account as far back as 2011.  They indicated that I owed about a $1000, plus interest.  So I was faced with the prospect of paying the government money for a legitimate use of my own money, even though I had not done anything wrong.

In both these situations, I was protected by providing documented proof that whatever debts the IRS claimed I had incurred, I did not actually owe.  The proof, in both cases, was the provision of a receipt: a document that provides a trail showing charges for an expense and the payment rendered in exchange for that expense.

Recently, a passage of scripture was brought to my attention that raised for me a very big question.   In Hebrews 2:14 we are told, “…that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death.”  This scripture is describing the death of Jesus Christ and the impact it has on our spiritual adversary, the devil.  The question that was raised for me was simply, “How does the blood and sacrifice of Jesus render our enemy powerless?”

To answer that question, I was whisked along on a detailed explanation on courtroom mechanics.

Much like my encounter with the IRS, God operates out of a structured and disciplined paradigm.  You might believe that God operates however He pleases, and to an extent we could argue that He does.  But what we often miss in our thinking this way is that it very much pleases God to act in a very orderly fashion.

An example of this is illustrated for us in Daniel 6 through the ordeal of King Darius in giving a statute that no one may make a petition to any god but the King for thirty days.  When it came to the King’s attention that his statute had ensnared his favored commissioner, Daniel, King Darius was very upset.  However, there was nothing that he could do, because once the statue was given, it was his authority that gave the statue authority.  If the King issued a new statue to undermine the first, then the King would be pitting his authority against his authority–so which would win out: his authority to institute the statute or his authority to end the statute?

The same is true of God.

Which is what our accuser, the Devil, relies upon.  While Satan has learned that he can never exploit God like the satraps did King Darius, he knows he can still ensnare the rest of us in the laws that God has already established.

That is why Satan did not tempt Eve to kill Adam rather than eating the fruit.  Death comes only as a consequence of breaking the law, which means even if it had been possible to conspire Eve to murder her husband, it could not have succeeded until God condemned it under the Law.  So Satan focused on the Law given to Adam: Thou shalt not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Until we understand the dynamic at play in God’s law, we can never understand the need for a receipt.

Our enemy has the power of death only over those who retain a debt on God’s books pertaining to His broken Law.

Similarly, when you abuse your FSA account, you lack a receipt showing a legitimate medical expense.  When the authority of the IRS comes to bear against you it makes no difference whether you believe in the IRS, acknowledge the IRS, or even agree with the IRS.  The IRS believes in you and has ways of finding you and when it does, you will be made to pay your debt in full.  Plus interest.

Unless of course you already have a receipt showing that your debt has been paid.

This is how God rendered powerless him who had the power of death.  The power of death includes far more than simply killing someone.  The power of death is the power to pull a man towards death.  Our enemy cannot actually kill you directly.  Instead, the devil conspires bad behavior into people.  He sows jealousy to make a man murderous towards his spouse.  He sows addiction to make a driver distracted while driving a vehicle that when improperly steered can result in the loss of life and limb.  He sows lies and distrust that destroy relationships.  He plants doubt and skepticism that turn us away from God and church.

He does these things to destroy us spiritually, emotionally and physically to bring us to death spiritually, emotionally and physically.

For those who are not Christians, and choose not to become Christians, there is nothing you can do about it.  You have made your choice to be subjected to his authority in this lifetime at a greater cost of showing up in God’s final courtroom bearing the debt you have incurred on your own shoulders.  You have no hope of paying back what you owe by your “good living.”  The Jews have already proven this by their own failure to keep the law before God.

But for those of us who are Christians we now have the means to put a stop to the power of death in our lives.  The problem for those that do not see this at work all boils down to a failure to hold onto your receipt.

Like my experience with my FSA, you have a legitimate basis to expect the power of the curse (due to breaking the law) to be voided out by everything Jesus Christ accomplished through the cross.  But if you failed to hold onto your receipt when the accuser comes knocking on your door and pointing out your failures and sins, then what you have done is to accept his records over God’s.

The end result is you end up seeing the debt you owed paid twice.  The first time the debt was paid, was through Jesus Christ.  God the Father was so pleased with his sacrifice that He paid Jesus Christ back with resurrection.  His coming back to life is proof that the debt was fully and completely paid off.  But when we believe our accuser’s accusation, we allow our sufferings to cut a second check for the amount we owe under condemnation to cover our debt through sickness, loss and poverty.  And like the crooked auditor that he is, Satan does not take these blessings to pay God back for your debt (because he knows the debt has already been paid).  No, he takes them for himself.  You get robbed.  The good things God wants to pour out on your life get taken from you because you failed to recognize the authority of the receipt.

Because of the transaction that has taken place at the cross, the debt of our sins has been paid for in exchange for the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.  His body was broken to satisfy the curse required for all those who have a sin debt before God.  His blood was shed to exchange our own unrighteousness with his righteousness.  Our remembering this through the communion wine and bread is to set our focus on the fact that this transaction has taken place–until his return.  But it is our profession to our accuser of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that is the documented proof of God’s satisfaction with the state of our debts having been completely wiped clean.  And if you fail to pull out your receipt to remind your accuser that God was so satisfied with Jesus turning your negative balance positive such that Christ was raised to life on the third day, then you are just allowing highway robbery to take place.

You do not need to fight your accuser on this issue.  You do not need to fast.  You do not need to hold a prayer vigil.  You do not need to take it up with management and ask God to do something about it.  You do not need to have luck or your pastor’s prayers.  You do not need to do right to earn right standing before God.  You do not need to sin less.  You do not need to attend church more.  You simply need to hold out your receipt to your accuser and stand your ground.

Do not budge.  Do not waver.  And do not flinch.  Simply repeat that Jesus Christ has settled your debt at the cross and his resurrection proves your account balance is good.  Therefore, you may not be cursed, thus you may not come under death’s oppressive power.

Here is what happens spiritually when you just do this little thing.

The whole scuffle taking place, where your accuser is challenging the legitimate blessings in your life, will eventually cause a commotion.  Commotion draws attention.  Eventually, the manager has to come over.  This is not a situation that your accuser wants to take place, because he already knows your account is settled; he simply wants to spook you out of believing in the legitimacy of your receipt.  He wants to take your focus off of what Jesus finished at the cross and put it somewhere else just long enough that you put the receipt away and make your problem, your trouble, your difficulty, the death taking place in your life about something other than the payment already rendered.

Because when you do that he has won.  Your receipt is back in your pocket.  When management does come over and you fail to provide it as proof, then to all parties involved the accuser’s application of the curse to your life is justified in your mind since you are no longer standing in faith to your receipt having any merit.

But if you hold on–when God shows up on the scene–if the devil is truly foolish enough to hold out that long, he already knows the outcome.  He knows what God will do.  God will take the receipt from your outstretched hand, look it over, and then address Satan saying, “This account was already paid off with the blood of my son.  Your accusation is without merit, and your execution of the power of death in this life is without justification.  You must pay back all that you have taken plus one-fifth of what you owe.”

That is when miracles happen.  That is the moment of your breakthrough.

The other possibility is that your accuser gives up and turns away.  This will happen only when he realizes that past battles with you have always ended as before: with you pulling out your receipt and standing your ground.

But if your accuser has cursed you with sickness, disease, loss, poverty, wounds, and suffering, do not let him off the hook.  Stand your ground.  Hold out your receipt.  Do not drop it.  Eventually, God will step in to manage the situation and he will honor the receipt of Jesus Christ.

So don’t be so quick in forgetting what Jesus did for you; hold onto your receipt.

When Ebola came to the United States on September 24, 2014 the media whipped itself into a frenzy and the American people followed suit.  Post 9/11 in response to the terror attacks on the United States, Americans supported policy changes that stripped them of their freedoms in favor of the appearance of safety by allowing the TSA to invasively inspect passengers guilty of nothing more than buying an airline ticket.  Global Warming has been in the news for over a decade now and the apocalyptic warnings have resulted in changes to our laws, in the cost of our goods, and even in what goods are available.  While there is certainly something to be said concerning being a good steward of this world, some have gone so far as to create Carbon Credits to offset their “carbon footprint” and reduce the impact they themselves have towards the so-called demise of our world.

Why do we allow ourselves to be so tragically twisted out of shape at the first signs of Ebola in the US?  Why did we allow the actions of nineteen misguided men to decide the course for our culture post 9/11?  I can understand why many are worried about the problem of Global Warming and the state of our world for future generations, but why are Christians concerned?  Why do we let the things we see and hear in the world weigh us down?

While it is certainly true that the Ten Commandments were given to the Jew, not the Gentile nor the Christian, it does us good to further examine the second of the Ten Commandments and consider how our lives may be improved by heeding it.

Exodus 20:4-5 reads:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them.

The word worship in this verse is the Hebrew word shachah which among other things means variations of bowed, homage, lie down, prostrate, weighs it down and worship.  This paints for us a picture that whenever we allow the likeness of anything in the heavens, on the earth or under the earth to weigh us down, rather than God, we have engaged in idol worship.  But why is that important, and how is it relevant to Ebola, terrorism, global warming, poverty, the AIDS epidemic, cancer, ALS, worldwide hunger, human trafficking, Harry Potter teaching witchcraft, same-sex marriage, and the outcome of the next election?

It has been rumored that the Bible contains 365 variations of “fear not” and while this may or may not be true, what is certainly true is that the scriptures emphatically encourage us not to fear the things in this world, much as the second commandment emphatically encourages us not to let anything in this world weigh us down.

When the Israelites gave weight to the giants living in the Promised Land they were forced to wander the desert for 40 years until their generation had died out.  But when three Israelite youths refused to bow down to an idol of a king, or even the fear of being thrown into a fiery furnace, they were delivered by the power of God.  It was Saul and his army that was weighed down by the size of a giant, but it was a shepherd boy named David who gave weight to God and struck Goliath down.

We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him,” but forget that just five verses earlier that “now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

What we can see includes everything in the heavens above, on the earth beneath and anything in the waters under the earth.  When we are confident in what we see we have given importance to it.  When we make Ebola, the HIV epidemic, cancer, ALS, terrorism, and global warming so important that we bend our lives down to these things, then we allow them to weigh us down in an act of worship which God views as idolatry.  This does not mean that when we are sick we must act healthy, or that when we are stricken we must pretend to be whole.

So what does God expect from us then?  Because these things are real and they impact our lives and the lives of our loved ones on a daily basis.

While we are not called to ignore these problems we are called to have a confident expectation of better outcomes.  For when we give in to fear, we succumb to the evil things that twist our lives around like a pretzel.  This means that if God is possessive and watchful in the maintenance or protection of us as his children, then his jealousy will be stirred to wrath.

Jesus told us in Matthew 7:11  “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”

Put another way, if you being evil know how to tear down your child’s bedroom door when you hear his frantic screams, how much more your heavenly Father who is not evil, but jealously possessive and watchful in his protection of you?  And if you being evil understand the wounds inflicted when your own son turns the cause of his frantic screams of doubt and terror upon you then how much more do you displease your heavenly Father when you direct your own doubts and fears regarding his intent and ability upon him?

God’s jealousy is revealed when Jesus awoke within the storm-tossed boat and rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be silent and still rather than rebuking his disciples and commanding them to be silent and still.  Instead, he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

When the multitude followed Jesus to a secluded place and his disciples bowed to the hunger of the people rather than their God, Jesus implored his disciples to give the people something to eat.  Instead of being certain of what they could not see, they were certain in what they did not have: enough food between them to feed everyone.  They were weighed down by their lack rather than being weighed down by God’s goodness and power towards them.  They chose to believe with their eyes rather than believing with their hearts.

Consider God’s own nature as demonstrated in Genesis chapter 1.  God saw the darkness, but rather than pointing out the obvious and proclaiming it dark, he spoke light in response to what he wanted to see.  And there was light.

Idols of sickness, human tragedy, natural disasters and earthly poverty bring our focus down into the dusts.  Seeing the obvious and giving our attention to the obvious will never change them, because these idols serve the master of the dusts: that is our adversary the snake, cursed for the remainder of his days to crawl upon the earth and make our dust his food.

When the man blind since birth was brought before Jesus the people looked down into the dusts and focused on his lack, only to mistakenly assign blame for his condition to his sins.  Jesus pointed up, drawing their attention to their Father and told them it was not due to sin, but so that their Father in heaven would be glorified in giving sight where there had only been blindness; to give light where there had only been darkness.

The idol of blindness was never going to allow the man to see again.  Bending the man’s life around it was never going to improve his vision.  Giving weight to his ailment only gave weight to their perception of his sins and the sins of his parents.  But when God was given weight in the situation, when Jesus bent the man’s focus upon something higher and greater, his sight was restored.

We all have idols in our lives, those things that rob us by bending us over and twisting us up by the weight we give them.  Even good things can become idols when they begin to destroy us by bowing us down to them.  Wine and alcohol are given for our benefit to be merry by, but too much can bring us to ruin.  Wealth is a tool that enables us to prosper materially in this life, but when we bow down to it and make it our master it fails to bring us any happiness.  Popularity and fame fill us with a sense of value that we all rightly deserve a share of having been made in the image of God, but when we chase after it as an idol it leaves us empty and without purpose.

Contemplate for a moment the areas of your life where your joy is incomplete.  Follow that unhappiness back to the idol you have fashioned from the image or likeness of something in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.  Consider how much time and suffering you have invested towards bending your life around that idol and answer for yourself Joshua’s question in Joshua 24:15.  If you find the idols of this modern age desirable and pleasing to you, serve them, but if not, choose “for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”  Giving weight to idols will never lift you up while they have you bending down, but giving weight to God’s loving-kindness, goodness and power towards you, will lift you up and out of your situation.

Whether it is the Amazing New Pro 2000 failing to measure up to ACME Co’s promotions, Rep Scott Grey breaking his campaign promises after your vote wins him the election, or the abandoned commitments made by your best friend or loved one, we have all felt the stinging betrayal of False Advertising.

These merchants of deception peddle their knock-off wares by making commitments that never measure up to the promises rendered in exchange for our money, power, or trust.  Nevertheless, as sojourners to this world, we are ever in search of truth that will satisfy.

Often, in this quest, we inevitably turn to religion, only to be further disappointed by what we find lurking just beyond the doorways of the church; but should this be?

Who among you finds it reasonable to criticize the presence of the physically unfit within the walls of the local gym? Is not their attendance indicative of their own awareness and intent to improve the quality of their own life?

Or consider the man whose goal it is to strengthen his own health.  He wanders the halls of the hospital’s terminal ward in search of a role model, only to leave discouraged and in doubt that such improved health is even possible.

Then why do some of us act so surprised when we find bad people inside the Church?  If the Church receives sinners, isn’t that exactly what you would expect to find sitting in the pews or do you believe walking into McDonald’s somehow turns you into a hamburger by association?

If you find yourself in that predicament, do not blame yourself.  You are as much a victim of False Advertising as the rest of us.

But just as there are knock-off Polystations, there are actual Playstations.  Just as there are Scott Greys, there are Mother Theresas.  And while there are many a Judas in the world, there are actual Jonathan’s who would go against Family and State to preserve your life.

The problem we all face in our quest is sorting through the junk to find the treasure.  But the lull of False Advertising distracts us, and that is its modus operandi.  A man was once seduced by the claims of a serpent that all the other fruit trees around him could not measure up to the value of the one tree denied to him.  But after he was distracted from the plainly evident truth, he discovered that the power of this lie had utterly robbed him of the paradise he valued as well as the tree of life that would have kept him forever.

But if the Church truly contains the treasure we seek after, then why do so many within her walls live out lives in such blatant contradiction to the truth we desire for ourselves?

To answer that, let us consider an ancient story of a time when the Jews, having been freed by a powerful God, became lulled by False Advertising to remember fondly a time when they were still slaves, used and abused by their masters, such that even their own children were torn from their bosom, when their numbers became too great, and tossed into the Nile to feed the crocodiles.  Such an obviously misguided perception is only possible by the beguiling power of False Advertising.  And in that distraction they spoke a word that manifested itself in their midst when they accused their savior of bringing them out into the desert to die.  Should we then be surprised that death suddenly came upon them in the form of vipers?

But their Savior was merciful and instructed Moses, their leader, to fashion a bronze serpent that would represent the poison they had brought upon themselves and to raise that bronze serpent upon a staff such that anyone who looked upon it would be healed.

Here is the catch.  If they did not look at the serpent, this bronze serpent that would take away their poison, they would not be healed.

And in that fact the evil mystery is understood why many in the church are spiritually sick and dying.  They come to the camp, but they fail to set their eyes upon the cross where the troubles that plague them were exchanged 2000 years earlier for the blessings that would restore them.

But those of us outside of the Church, who look in condemnation upon the misguided fools within the Church, are no better.  For just as those in the Church set their eyes on something other than the cross, we set our eyes upon broken people, rather than the sacrifice, and in so doing, die inwardly from the truth lost in exchange for a lie.

Here is God’s truth: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

If the truth of peace, and not evil, of receiving a future and a hope appeal to you, then you will not find it anywhere else, not in any man, or in any teaching; no, not even in these ramblings.  False Advertising has convinced many in the church that they can find that truth through the obedience of doing; if you want God’s promise, you must do this and you must do that, you must not do this and you must not do that.  But the only obedience required by God is an obedience of faith: of believing.  Setting your eyes upon Jesus Christ alone, not his apostles, not his preachers, not those who claim to be his followers, not on any of them.

Because if your eyes are set anywhere else, the truth will be robbed from you; the truth you have been searching this whole life for.

Change your mind today, choose to turn away from the False Advertisement that God is a lie, that God is out to harm you, or that He only wants to take from you, and choose instead to believe this truth:

God so loved you that He sent His only begotten son to die for you, that if you would only believe that he took upon himself the consequences of sin then you will inherit his place of right standing before God the Father as His own beloved child.

And those who turn their faith towards this truth discover that though the False Advertisements of the world still bite, their power is lost through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.