Tag: Christianity

Christianity

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A friend recently asked me if I could logically explain Christianity. I said absolutely not. I typically reside on a mental plane of logic and reason, and the entire concept that forms the foundation of what Christians believe is illogical. The construct of Christianity is built on the existence of an Entity that has no beginning or end, exists in all times simultaneously, is so purely perfect that the radiance of His goodness would instantly kill any non-perfect living being in His presence, has the power to create an infinite universe, the expanse of which is beyond human comprehension. Light years and billions and billions of planets without end, and yet on this tiny insignificant rock He chose to create life? Beautiful life, with unfathomable intricacies of all sorts. And then, of all things, chose to become a virtual insect by comparison and live among his creation to save the very beings that he created from the sins that separate them from His presence and secure their inevitable eternity in a place called Hell. A place devoid of all things that are good, unending pain, fire and anguish. And at the precipice of it all, as if that were not difficult enough to rationalize, this same Entity with all of this power chose to be horribly tortured and killed by the creations that He came to save by becoming a blood sacrifice Himself. Thereby returning them to their originally intended perfect state and providing a means for them to reside eternally in a place called heaven. Why? Because He loved us?

How can anyone find logic in that? It is simply unbelievable. Which is exactly why I find no difficulty in believing it. Everything about our existence is unbelievable. I need look no further for empirical evidence than literally everything around me. I am not a scientist, but I do know that everything we see is energy. Numerous forms of energy with magnificent power. One of the core concepts of Quantum theory is the possibility of everything. Multiple dimensions and space-time continuums boggle the sharpest of minds. Think about the inherent randomness and variety of all of the earthly creations. The microscopic world of neutrons, protons, electrons and quarks. DNA and chromosomes that make billions of humans unique. If every planet, or any other planet within the scope of our exploration housed any form of life I would find it more logical. But why just one, seemingly random planet that sustains life while all the others appear to be emptiness? And what about life itself? Nothing intrigues me more than pondering the very essence of life. Einstein’s E=Mc2 formula calculates the amount of energy in mass. But what about the energy that gives this vessel life and consciousness? It has no mass but it’s certainly energy. Your body has mass (For most of us, much more mass than we care to have!) but your lifeforce does not. A fundamental law of thermal dynamics is that energy can neither be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another. So where then does your lifeforce go when you die? It can’t be destroyed, and it has no mass so it can’t be transferred back into the earth. But it has to be transferred somewhere. And what about love? Could there be a more illogical thing than love? Nothing about love is logical or rational. Love causes us to willingly do wildly irrational and illogical things. Even to the point of death. Doesn’t the knowledge of that truth alone explain why the God, that is Himself love did what he did? The more I try to understand anything, the more I realize how pathetically little that I know about it. It is my contention then, that faith is not simply a choice to believe in something without proof. But lack of faith is an inability to see the very proof that we are currently immersed in. The proof of God is all around us. It lies in the illogical randomness and impossibility of everything that we see and think we know. There can simply be no other explanation for me. None of this is happenstance or coincidence. It can’t be. It has to be the result of someone so fantastically superior and so far beyond our comprehension that we will never be able to explain it. Therein lies my faith.

Church

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Long but worth the read🥰
A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.
After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening.
The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.
As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.
Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.
The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.
He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.
Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, ‘Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the firey sermon.
I will be back in church next Sunday.’
We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.
The Lord is my Shepherd —– that’s a Relationship!
I shall not want —– that’s Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures —-that’s Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters —–that’s Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul —– that’s Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness –that’s Guidance!
For His name sake —– that’s Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death–that’sTesting!
I will fear no evil —– that’s Protection!
For Thou art with me —– that’s Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me —–that’s Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies——that’s Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil —–that’s Consecration!
My cup runneth over —– that’s Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life—-that’s Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord —–that’s Security!
Forever —– that’s Eternity!
Face it, God loves you!
What is most valuable is not what we have in our lives, but WHO we have in our lives! ❤🙏🏼
-from a friend

Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira

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Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 

Rev 2:19  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 

Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 

Rev 2:22  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 

Rev 2:23  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 

Rev 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 

Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 

Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star. 

Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

Verse 19 gives the impression that all is well with this church.  But we quickly find otherwise. First the commendation, or praise, then that which needs to be corrected because the Christ will not ignore the faults; a lesson which we all need to take careful note of. …Hello…

Like the saints in Pergamos, the believers tolerated sin in the church.  In Pergamos the false teachers were compared to Balaam and Balak. Here the false teacher is compared to Jezebel, the proponent of idolatry and immorality. Idolatry and immorality usually go together, and Jezebel personifies both (1st Kings 16:29-34; 21; 2nd Kings 9:30-37) The teaching was being spread that self-indulgence was better than self-discipline and more.

The story of Jezebel’s reign is the story of the quick corruption and utter downfall of the Kingdom of Israel.  Idol feasts were followed by “chambering and wantonness” and corruption spread rapidly among the youth of Israel.  In a like manner a love of talk about forbidden things was setting in, regard for the law was being weakened; audacity was taking the place of reason and conservatism.

Notice, however, the angel of this church is not charged with teaching this doctrine but with tolerating it. 

The church ruler seems to have had an inadequate sense of the authority of law.  Both he and the church are charged with neglect of duty. The woman called herself a “prophetess” and the thinking may have been “Who knows but that God may be speaking through her notwithstanding all that is suspicious in her teaching?”  even the “judge not” thing may have come into play.  The strong of Christian character may not be prone to succumbing but that does not negate their responsibility to their fellow believers in the Christ.

Not everybody in the fellowship was guilty of sin, and the Lord did not warn them.  Instead, He encouraged them to hold to the truth and be faithful.

The minister was not charged with sharing the doctrine but with tolerating it; both he and the church were charged with tolerating it and warned of their neglect of duty.  Doubtless, he bore with her because she was a woman.  The gracious tolerance of a strong man often takes this form. It is very hard for such a one to assert himself at all; most hard where self-assertion seems most easy.  Next the woman called herself a prophetess.  Here comes in regard for the freedom of prophecy; the very inspiration of the Church was a hindrance.  After all, who knows whether God is not speaking by her, notwithstanding all that is in suspicion in her teaching that was contrary to scripture.

The appeal to reality.  Nothing is more needed than occasional plain speech about the foulness which lurks in much that professes to be an enlarged spirituality.  They who encourage display of the peculiar charms of womanhood and seek to advance public causes by constant speech of things which nature and piety tell us should be held in strict reserve, degrade the women they supposedly seek to emancipate and brutalize the man. A corrupt doctrine will lead to a corrupt life.  Creed and conduct have vital connection with each other, a very vital connection indeed.

— The above is an excerpt from a forthcoming book by Pastor Ward Clinton. See some of my books here

Smyrna of Revelation

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the Agora

Rev 2:8  And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 

The church at Ephesus needed to be reminded that His watchful eye was upon them, to stimulate them to recall their first love, and to do their first works; but the church of Smyrna, which was more pure, and had yet to pass through fiery trials, needed most of all to dwell upon the unchangeableness of His power and love.

The name comes from “Myrrh,” which is a bitter herb, a suitable name for a church facing persecution.  Would the believers be fearful or faithful?  There were genuine Jewish Christians among them, and there were Jewish pretenders.  He knows who are the right-hearted, and He knows who are insincere.

Suffering can enrich us, even if we think we are poor; and what people think is wealth might turn out to be poverty (3:17).  Although materially poor, this church was spiritually wealthy because it truly had the Christ.  The Christ assures His people that He is intimately acquainted with every feature of their history.  “I know …” The “I know” of love is the smile of God.

The 10 days?  The grand principle is that there is a limit to the suffering of the Church and the saints.  The Christ soothes and emboldens His saints by the promise of infinite compensation.  He does not promise zero suffering in this life but He will not permit it to go beyond what we are capable of handling.  And the Christ will not only deliver His saints from the sphere of suffering; He will introduce them into the sphere of eternal rest and joy.

What difference does it make if people slander you so long as you have the Lord’s approval?

pastorwardclinton.com

Revelation 2:1-7

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Rev 2:1  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

pastorwardclinton.com

Ephesus is the type of a strenuous Church. There is something singularly masculine in the first part of the description. “I know thy works”—that is, thine achievements; not thy desires and purposes and aspirations, not even thy doings, but thy deeds. This Church in its severe self-discipline affords a welcome contrast to the easily-excited populace amid whom they lived, rushing confusedly into the theatre and shouting for two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” The patience of the Church is twice mentioned; the second time it is patience not as a feature of the workman, but the patience of him who can suffer, and suffer in silence. And this virtue has a threefold delineation—patience, endurance, fortitude. “Thou hast patience, and thou didst bear for My name’s sake, and thou hast not grown weary.” There is another mark of the masculine character in Ephesus, a noble intolerance of evil—“thou canst not bear bad men.” And with this intolerance is the power to discriminate character, the clear judgment which cannot be deceived—“thou didst try them which call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false.” There is no surer mark of a masculine nature than this keen insight into pretentiousness, and fidelity of rebuke. There is so much good in this church that we are surprised to discover that they had left (not lost) their first love.  The honeymoon was over (Jer 2:2).  No amount of separation, sacrifice, or service can make up for your lack of love for the Lord.

It is love in its largest sense which the Church once had and now has lost; the love of God animating piety undoubtedly, but no less certainly the love of men making service sweet. Nor is it the feeling alone which has changed, it is not that love as a sentiment is lost; but love in its far reach has gone, kindliness and tender consideration and disregard of self, the grace that suffers long and is kind, that beareth all things, hopeth all things, believeth all things. The toilsomeness, the endurance, the stern self-judgment, the keen discrimination of character, are obvious; but the spirit that rises above toil or sweetens toil, the grace to woo and wed, has fled. We can understand the history only too well. Life has many sore trials, none sorer than this—that virtues which are unexercised die out, and that the circumstances which call for some virtues and give occasion for their development seem to doom others to extinction. The Christian character cannot live by severity alone. There were two demands which the Church at Ephesus had forgotten—the demand for completeness of Christian character, never more urgent than when the times are making us one-sided; the demand of God Himself for the heart. There must be impulse in His people if they are to continue His people; there must be love in all who, not contented with doing “their works,” desire to do the work of God.

The warning of the fifth verse must have been very surprising to the angel of the Ephesian Church. The Church seemed to be so efficient. Its works had been so hard, and yet they had been done. Its achieve-merits were patent. Especially its service in the cause of truth was conspicuous; the Church had not lost its zeal, its candour, its piercing vision. Ephesus warns us against the perils of the Puritan temper; it warns us also against the stoical temper, with its tendency to a not ignoble cynicism, of which some of our gravest leaders in literature have been the exponents. Puritanism plus love ham accomplished great things, and will do yet more; for a masculine tenderness is God’s noblest gift to men. But Puritanism, when the first love is lost, drags on a sorrowful existence, uninfluential and unhappy; its only hope being the capacity for repentance, which, God be praised, has never failed it. Perhaps the most solemn part of the message is that in which the Lord Himself declares—“I am coming; I will shake thy candlestick out of its place.” The Lord can do without our achievements, but not without love. He can supply gifts unendingly, can make the feeble as David; but if love be wanting He will shake the noblest into destruction, and remove them out of the way. There is one striking word immediately following this warning, a word of commendation; it is the only one of the messages in which a word of commendation does come in after the warning has been uttered, and it is a commendation of feeling. “But this thou hast, that thou hatest,” etc. Hatred is hardly the feeling we should have expected to be commended: but it is feeling, and any feeling is better than apathy or stolidity. Where men can feel hatred, other feeling may come; love may come where men have not reduced themselves to machines like an “Ebenezer Scrooge”.

The word “Nicolaitans” means “conquer the people.”  Apparently, a group in the church lorded it over the people and promoted a separation of “clergy” and “laity” (see Matt 21:20-27; 22:1-12) The priest hood was set up by God, but its purpose is not to “lord it over” the people but to serve and produce high quality disciples of the Christ.  Some of the priests and pastors started out good but lost their way somewhere along the pathway.  Ephesus had too little of what so many have too much of—sensibility, passiveness, willingness to receive, to be made something of, to be quiet and let the Blessed One save them who had long been striving, and of late so ineffectually, to serve Him. Good as strenuousness is—and of human virtues it is among the chief—even better is the responsive spirit. Why was the one we call St Paul given a vision when none of the other priests, as far as we know, in his day given one?  Much of the reason likely had to do with his sincerity and earnestness to do the will of God coupled with a responsive spirit that none but God was able to see during the time when he was a persecutor of those called Christians.

— A preview from my forthcoming book on the Revelation of Jesus the Christ. – pastorwardclinton.com

Rain and 2nd Chronicles 7:14

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It is not raining where I am today, the 27th of August, as the sun rises and it is looking exceptionally nice.  It is not that it was all that spectacular but more of a matter being so nice to see after a week or two of rainy days.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the rain as well as the sunshine but too much of either becomes a bit disturbing.

I lived in the Philippines for awhile and went through monsoon seasons and did not find that to be disturbing at all.  When in Guam, we had wet season and dry season, which I have to admit I preferred wet season over heavy monsoon.  However, those seasons are like summer and winter on the mainland of the U.S.

Returning to where I currently live, we had an unusually long dry spell which has been followed up by a long wet spell.  My little pond completely dried up.  I learned that I had bass and catfish as well as lots of brim.  I toyed with the idea of renting an excavator to essentially dredge the dried out pond out a little and put some of the fertile silt in my garden area since it had pretty much “given up the ghost” as well due to the drought.  Then the rain started.  The first few days it was all around me but not getting closer than a mile or two away.

Now I had already been thinking of 2nd Chronicles 7:14 back when my fish were dying, and the water was approaching “all gone” as my late wife would have put it.  I had already been thinking about the somewhat different than normal weather patterns being reported all across the nation.  I had already been thinking and praying for a “Great Awakening” to take place in our nation on the scale of the one which was instrumental in bringing the Unites States of America into existence.  With the kakistocracy in Washington, D.C. it is no surprise that such is not yet happening nor is it a surprise that the “woke” ones are embracing the Climate Change mantra instead of acknowledging that God just might be trying to get their attention and especially the attention of those who are “awake.”   After all, 2nd Chronicles 7:13-14 is addressed to the awake ones and calls us to a specified action.

My pond overfloweth:

Yes, the rain came, and it has been raining and raining … and raining.  I stopped singing “Showers of Blessing” a week ago.  I’m not complaining, and I do believe I am blessed, but I am carefully revisiting 2nd Chronicles 7:14 and making sure I am aligning myself with His call to action.  Due, in part to Genesis 8:22 and Psalm 74, I do not fall for the Climate Change Hoax that is being perpetrated on us by the leftists.  I know Who created the climate and His promises regarding it and the instructions to His people.  Therefore, as I ponder 2nd Chronicles 7:13-14, I recognize that unusual weather patterns may very well be warning signals from Our Father in Heaven because we have strayed from His paths and He still loves us and wants to do something special through us, His awake ones.

2Ch 7:13  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 

14  If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

Stay Alert

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Veronica Keith 

A good little bit before we moved in, we saw a tiny little mouse in the attic. We never saw any signs of it anywhere else in the house. Even after we moved in, we looked for signs, but nothing.

A couple of weeks after we moved in we started smelling the weirdest, most off-putting smell and it was always near plumbing (bathroom, water heater, etc). We tried everything. Cleaned thoroughly, and flushed the lines thinking it might have been stagnant water because the water was on way before we moved in so we thought that could be it. Even thought it might be the treatment plant. To no avail…..

Yesterday morning I walked through the kitchen, right past the dishwasher barefoot. I was headed to the laundry room to start laundry and was DISTRACTED. Derek walked RIGHT BEHIND ME, following my steps. He saw faint movement and looked down. And there it was, the small rat snake. He picked it up and took it outside.

He came back in and said, “there was your smell”. Rat snakes put off an awful odor as part of a defense mechanism. He had been in our house for at least 2-3 weeks. Since he’s been out….no smell.

He came in looking for a mouse. That mouse was valuable to him. He wanted it and he came looking for it.

I asked Derek how he thought it got in. And his response got me thinking this morning. He said, “he could have slipped in when any of us left the door cracked just a bit”. As we were moving, or kids going in and out, maybe walking out to the grill. It was small and sneaky and very well could have slipped right past us and us not even know he got in.

So this morning the Holy Spirit said to me, “do you see what can happen when you’re distracted? How quickly the enemy can sneak in your door, and sliver right past you? If he thinks there is something valuable there, he is going to try to sneak in and take it”.

And that’s how it happens. We miss one church service that turns into 6 months, we have one drink that leads back into an old lifestyle, we send one text that leads to an affair, we tell one fib that turns into a trail of lies and deceit.

The signs were there. I smelled the smell. (anyone that knows me understands this). I knew there was an enemy in the camp. But I was too “busy” to continue to look. So I just cleaned around it to try to make it “better”.

If satan can’t have you, he’ll distract you. Once you are safe in the Father’s arms and your name is written down, he can’t have you, so he tries to distract you. He tries to interrupt your holy living, he tries to break up your family, he tries to corrupt your mind, and he tries to fill you full of bitterness and unforgiveness.

LISTEN TO ME: He tries to stop you from getting any other names in that book!!!!!!! He tries to stop you from witnessing. He tells you you can’t, he ruins your witness through lies.

Don’t leave the door cracked. Lock it down. Be on guard. Put that armor on first thing. Stay prayed up.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:10-11

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20 NIV