The Gang of 8 - Heard of the Gospels?

Wow. I understand the needs the need for an immigration system. My wife came over from Indonesia after high school and is now, proudly, a US citizen. She jumped through the (expensive) hoops.

The Gang of 8 has quite a plan there. It's sad that both parties have no concept of a Biblical perspective on immigration.

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We can look to Matthew 25 for Jesus' thoughts on social responsibility. Stunningly enough, he does not say we should take away health insurance from immigrants, get the homeless off of our downtown sidewalks and lock up and forget about our criminals. Boy, talk about out of touch with modern society...

³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The same yesterday, today and forever

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” – Hebrews 13:8

In ancient Greece, it was standard practice for unwanted babies to be left outside to die. Either the weather or wild animals killed them. Or, someone would take them and they would be raised as slaves. Those were the lucky ones!

It wasn’t just sickly babies. Unwanted babies of all types, including females, were simply discarded (men got to make the decision on this and girls weren’t desirable in those days). We look back on this horrific practice with disapproval. Really? Today, instead of waiting for them to be born, unwanted babies are simply ripped from their mother’s womb and discarded. It was the law in ancient Greece and we call it barbaric. It is the law in the US and the rest of the world and we call it a woman’s right to choose.

One reason Christianity grew so quickly was because women, not empowered in the ancient world, flocked to it. This was in large part because Christians said, “Don’t kill babies.” God says a life is important (‘thou shalt not kill’). Jesus says children are important (‘If anyone causes one of these little ones…to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’)

Society says it’s okay to murder your unborn children, just as it did several thousand years ago. But the message of the Bible is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am still convinced that many people deny Christianity because at its root, it requires a person to acknowledge there is something greater: it’s not all about them. And today, more than ever, that is the exact opposite of our “Look at me!” culture.

The fact that society insists on framing the issue of abortion as being about a woman’s choice, rather than about the life of an unborn child…. Jesus’ words and the words of the Bible offer a foundation that is unchanging. Society and modern culture blow with the wind. And in today’s reality television world, society says, “It’s all about ME.” That’s not quite in line with Jesus’ proclamation that He came to serve, not be served.

Because millions of babies are being killed each year (in America, almost 3,500 abortions are performed EVERY DAY), abortion is the most visible (and shameful) example of this secular disregard of the message of the Bible: But there are many more. Jesus said to welcome strangers. Modern culture says to take away immigrants’ health benefits and deport them. Jesus said to help the poor and homeless. Modern culture says to ban them from downtown streets. Jesus says that blessed are the peacemakers. Modern culture says to avenge every affront made to you and more guns are the answer. Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth. Modern culture measures success by wealth and how much you own.

Clearly, many Christians don’t read their Bible, don’t know their Bible and don’t live their Bible. The neo-Christians protesting outside of Vineyard Columbus Church (I won’t give them publicity by naming them here) are an example of the extreme fringe who miss entirely the meaning of the New Testament. More common are those who declare themselves Christians and simply leave it at that.

I believe that today, Jesus would speak out against abortion. I do NOT believe that he would stand outside an abortion clinic and insult women going in, or murder abortion doctors. Nor would he hold up giants sign with aborted fetuses where children could see them. 

But the message of Jesus and the Bible remains the same. And the Christians who do read, know and live the Bible, choose to believe in what the Bible tells them, instead of what society tells them. And their compass will always point true north. Society’s compass will constantly change direction and those who follow it will wander along the path.

Math Lesson

REAL MATH

 

+=2

 

NRA MATH

+=0

 

Finally: opens today!

 

 

The good reviews have already started

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/04/11/42-presents-shining-chapter-in-america-saga/

And Today, the Debt was Paid

On this day in 33 AD, God's plan for man's redemption reached it's final stage. Though one glorious act remained, He who was without sin died for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-6, foretold of the act of our salvation:

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,  
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

When Jesus was crucified, the Pharisees and Saducees and Essenes and Romans thought that they had conquered over Christianity. Satan thought that he had triumphed over God. It looked like evil had won out over good. But on the third day, it was revealed to be the very opposite. 

Today, modern culture thinks it has triumphed over Christianity. But just as during those days in 33 AD, Jesus will come again in glory. And the Bible tells us that while He came as a lamb the first time, He will return as a lion this time.

I was a former Christian for a chunk of my life. And I realize now that the main reason was because I refused to accept it wasn't all about me. That I was second and there is something greater than me. That is a humbling realization. And it's Jesus' death on this date that is at the core of it. If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, look deep inside and ask why. It's quite possibly the same reason I had. Easter Sunday is the perfect time to come to that realization and accept the undeserved gift God gave us through His Son. Then you can truly say, "I am Free."

Holy Thursday - The Agony in the Garden

The most well-known event of Holy Week's Thursday is the Last Supper.

But before that, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to his Father. Jesus, he who could call down a heavenly host of angels, prayed in his greatest hour of trial. Jesus gave Christians a blue print for dealing with temptation. I was stunned to see how clear it was when I really dug into the verses.


If you've ever wished you could resist temptation better, it's right here:
http://solarpons.com/MissiveI_Temptation.pdf

And I recorded this as well. At least check out the first slide. It's The Family Guy! Stick with it and you'll get Seinfeld, Monty Python and Animal House, among others.

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/FromOlivet-1048374-byrne-s-serms-temptation/

Actually, it's not in the Constitution




Making NO COMMENT WHATSOEVER on the same sex marriage issue before the Supreme Court right now:

I'm a Christian who believes in the Bible. And I've got a couple dozen books on the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the Framers of the Constitution in my library. I happen to think that the US Constitution is the finest model of government that man has created. Every American citizen should read a book about that Convention in 1787 (or at least read the Constitution, which I suspect most people haven't bothered to to do). The two books pictured here are excellent. And 'miracle' in the title of this one refers to the unlikelihood of what the Framers accomplished. It's not a religious look at the Convention.

Moving on to the point of this post: The US Constitution does NOT establish the separation of church and state. Read the Establishment and the Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. Heck, I'll type them for you:

Establishment Clause: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

Free Exercise Clause - "...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

There you have the actual words written into the Constitution. Separation of church and state is a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson and used in his letters. The incorporation of that phrase into Constitutional Law has been made by the US SUPREME COURT.

When Congress declares a religion for the United States; or doesn't allow someone to practice their religion of choice, then the government will be violating the US Constitution regarding religion. This public perception that the Constitution establishes a wall between the government and religion is, quite simply, ignorance of the actual Constitution.



If you want to argue that it's the Supreme Court's responsibility to interpret the Constitution and that the Court has decreed that there shall be a separation of church and state, fire away.

But Americans have been misrepresenting and misinterpreting the Constitution up to this day, including saying that it establishes the separation of church and state. No, it does not. It's written right there on the page. Or rather; it's not.