Are the Problems Worth It?

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). While it is comforting to know what to expect before it gets here, on the other hand it is disheartening to know that trials, tribulations, problems and un-winnable situations will visit us. However, just because we know this does not relieve us of the responsibility to be a good and faithful servant. I am not responsible for you, the reader, nor am I responsible for my family's actions. I am, however, responsible for how well I do what God has commissioned me to do: to spread His name throughout the world. And the good thing is, I'm not limited to the inside of the Church house for this. God expects me to put Him first in everything I do, including politics. This is the crux of this post. Doing what is right is not going to make me popular or win me friends, in fact, just the opposite will result. And those hard times are only going to be greater in number if I actually do what I preach. But, in the end, it really is worth it. True, I may be consigned to the fire like the three Hebrew children or even killed for what I'm doing. But I'm doing what I was told to do by God Almighty. And there is nothing unworthy about that.

The Importance of Jesus Christ

Voltaire once stated, "If any man will debate with me, let him first define his terms." That said, let us define terms for this very important topic. Jesus Christ: the only-begotten Son of God Almighty, the second Person of the Judeo-Christian Godhead, crucified and resurrected again the third day, now ascended into Heaven and sitting on the right hand of God the Father. Jesus Christ is also the sacrifice that sufficiently pays the debt for the sins of any who will trust in Him through faith, and walk with Him daily. Now to the point at hand. I have recently had several "friends" so-called, who claim to be Christian, tell me that Jesus Christ is a hindrance to the growth of the political party with which I am affiliated. This same argument is more saddening because I have had many unsaved people (by their own admission many times), tell me that if only Jesus Christ were dropped from the party platform they could help me make the numbers grow exponentially. My response has always been if it comes to a choice between Christ and the party, the party can die. So why should this interest you? First, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, then this article is not written to you. But if you have, then it should be most saddening because it shows that "the spirit of anti-Christ" is alive and getting more powerful every day. The Apostle John warned us that this would happen, but it should not happen in the Church. However, the Church is where most of the dissension begins many times. Christians are afraid to name the name of Christ because they are afraid of the problems it may cause them, or the things they may lose if they do mention Christ --- larger numbers, more money, greater prestige, etc. The Church has done more to advance the blasphemous idea that the names Jesus Christ and God the Father are interchangeable than any other factor in the physical world today. I do not know how many readers I reach, nor do I know how many people actually care about this issue. But as for me, any man who does not acknowledge the name of Christ for personal expediency is useless to me, and I will fight every thing he does to remove the name of Jesus from whatever is discussed. God the Father "sware by Himself because He could swear by no other." Also, God the Father gave to Jesus Christ "a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." It isn't too much that He demand I or any other Christian acknowledge His Son in our daily lives and affairs.

"What do you do when you've gotta be a man!"?

This anguish-filled statement, made famous in the James Dean movie Rebel Without a Cause, is a far too-little asked, too-seldom answered question among the men today. It is fashionable to be a lazy, good-for-nothing. Take, for example, the recently dropped sitcom "Two and a half Men" in which the cool guy that one should emulate is Charlie, the lazy, drunken no-good. His brother, by contrast, works for what he gets, has some semblance of a conscience and is the geeky nerd whose life one should not copy. This country would be a much better place if the men would take the time to ask, and truly ponder, what it takes to truly be a man, and hopefully go so far as to ask what is required of them when taking on the responsibilities of a man. James Dean's question was asked because of the very problem to which he needed an answer: males without a spine. If any doctor ever learns how to make a spine donation work, America and the men of America should be the first priority on his list.

"God Is Bigger Than the UN or Obama"

I have many friends across the United States, and recently I was checking to see how life is treating one of them. I found this statement under her political views. It struck me as one of the saddest things I have seen on FaceBook. Not because she is wrong, mind you, but because she should know better. She and I both attended the same university, for roughly the same amount of time. Sat under the same Sunday through Thursday messages. Had many of the same Bible classes though never the same class period. Yet she is willing to relegate to the background something that is her duty, based only on the faulty assumption that God Almighty will supernaturally intervene if things get too bad. Well, in time He will intervene, of that we are assured. But when He does, His intervention will be to end this earth and annihilate all opposition to His rightful authority --- nothing more, nothing less. So to use this as her political views is nothing short of apathy that this world is doomed for hell. She is copping out on her duty as a citizen, but worse, on her duty as a Christian. Duty is the most misunderstood, abused and misused four-letter word in the English language, because of the responsibility it carries. It infers that one will do what is right regardless of the consequences. In politics, it means you will have to stand alone quite often, and will often make enemies of people who were once your good friends. If you take nothing else from this post, take the conclusion: God IS bigger than the UN or obama or any other thing in this universe. But just because He is, does not give Christians a license to be complacent, useless, apathetic couch potatoes. God saves us to work in His fields. And those fields include politics.